What a glorious day for the electric revolution, or at least that’s what the boffins at Fastned would have you believe as they fling open the doors to their latest brainchild along the E17 in Gentbrugge. Picture this: you’re tearing down Belgium’s busiest stretch of tarmac, the one between Ghent and Antwerp where a staggering 26 million vehicles roar past every year, and suddenly, instead of pulling over to some godforsaken patch of gravel with a couple of measly plugs and a vending machine that’s seen better days, you stumble upon a proper oasis. Not just any pit stop, mind you, but the very first ‘verzorgingsplaats’ – that’s Dutch for service area, in case your language skills are as rusty as an old Land Rover.
Opened on 17 September 2025, this sprawling 8,000 square meter haven is Fastned’s way of thumbing its nose at the naysayers who claim EV charging is a miserable affair. Sixteen blazing-fast 400 kW chargers for your humble passenger zapper, plus four burly ones reserved for electric trucks – because even the big rigs deserve a sip from the juice fountain. And get this: the whole shebang is 100% electric, from the kitchen churning out hot meals to the shop shelves stocked with who-knows-what. No smoky diesel generators here; it’s all powered by the grid and a dash of solar tree canopies shading the plugs like some futuristic forest.
But here’s where it gets really interesting – or should I say, civilised. Forget the usual drill of staring at your phone while your battery sips electrons. This place has a restaurant where you can actually sit down for a bite without feeling like you’re in a motorway cafe from the 1970s. A shop that’s open 24/7 via self-service, because apparently, even at 3 am, you might fancy a snack. Toilets that flush with rainwater scooped from the roof, warm showers for those long-haul desperados, picnic tables dotted around a green expanse, and even a playground for the little ones to burn off that sugar rush. It’s all built with circular materials, whatever that means – probably something eco-friendly that doesn’t end up in a landfill – and there’s an underground water purification setup to keep the local wildlife from staging a protest.
Now, I have to hand it to them: in a world where EV drivers are still treated like second-class citizens on the highways, this is a step up from the norm. No more hovering awkwardly by your car, pretending to check the tyres while the charge ticks up slower than a snail on valium. Instead, you can stretch your legs, grab a coffee, and pretend you’re on holiday rather than just trying to make it to the next city without running out of puff. And for the truckers? Those dedicated chargers mean the commercial world can join the party without holding up the queue. It’s sustainable, emission-free, and frankly, a jolly good show for anyone who’s tired of the old fossil-fuel forecourts that reek of exhaust and disappointment.
Of course, one has to wonder if this is the thin end of the wedge. Will every stretch of motorway soon sprout these green utopias, or is Gentbrugge just a flashy pilot to lure in the EV masses? Either way, it’s a win for those of us zipping around in our silent, smug machines. Fastned, you’ve outdone yourselves – now let’s see if the rest of Europe catches up before the batteries go flat.
Readers, if you’re ready to start your own electric adventure, take a look at our marketplace where you can search for and buy 100% electric cars. Visit https://volty.be/nl/buy/cars/overview/ for the full overview.
