In the port of Ghent, a unique pilot project for charging plaza management has been running for some time at the Belgian site of charging station developer Alfen, featuring the Luqas Charging Hub.
At Alfen's Belgian site in the port of Ghent, a unique pilot project has been underway for some time. Alfen—a leading manufacturer of charging stations—and Qbus installed a Luqas Charging Hub together. The goal: to make new software and various types of charging stations work together in realistic conditions. The result is a stable, future-oriented test environment that simultaneously serves as a perfect example of how companies can smartly manage their charging plazas.
"For us, this is the ideal way to keep our technology sharp. Qbus has a strong reputation in smart control and energy management. By testing our systems together, we guarantee that customers in Belgium and beyond can charge without problems, today and tomorrow."
"We are literally sitting at the source, and that makes this test project quite unique," says Richard Ballaux of Qbus. "As a manufacturer, Alfen wants to be sure that their charging stations remain compatible with our products and vice versa. Thanks to this test site, we can immediately verify new developments from both sides in practice. That is very valuable."
Balancing down to the kilowatt: Luqas distributes power dynamically
The Luqas Charging Hub continuously measures how much power is available on the site, both from the grid and from any solar production. Depending on the building's load and the number of active charging stations, power is distributed dynamically. "Suppose all four charging stations are charging a car at the same time; we are quickly talking about 80 to 90 kilowatts," says Richard Balleux of Qbus. "You have to distribute that smartly, or you'll blow a fuse. Our load balancer ensures that the demand never exceeds what is effectively available."
For companies, this is crucial: it allows them to install multiple charging stations without immediately having to invest in heavier connections or expensive peak power capacity.
A living test environment for the Luqas Charging Hub
On the site, four different Alfen charging stations were connected to a single Luqas Charging Hub. The installation functions as a kind of 'living laboratory': whenever a new version or functionality becomes available—whether from Alfen or Qbus—it is tested here. This keeps compatibility up-to-date without risks for customers.
Alfen & Qbus: A partnership as leverage
This collaboration shows how good coordination between manufacturer and control system leads to faster innovation and higher reliability. "Through this test site, we have a direct line between our engineering teams," says Balleux. "If a new generation of charging stations arrives tomorrow, we know immediately how it behaves with the Luqas energy management system. And vice versa." Alfen also sees the benefits...
"We use this setup to let our software and Alfen's evolve in a realistic context," explains Richard Balleux of Qbus. "It is a real working site: the charging stations are actually used by their employees, and the load balancer ensures every day that the available power is optimally distributed."
For Alfen, this is an important strategic step. "For us, this is the ideal way to keep our technology sharp," says Rob van Gorp (Sales Lead EV Mobility Alfen). "Qbus has a strong reputation in smart control and energy management. By testing our systems together, we guarantee that customers in Belgium and beyond can charge without problems, today and tomorrow."
"The collaboration with Qbus is very transparent. Thanks to the Qbus Control app, we gained more insight into our energy consumption. Thanks to these measurements, we discovered, for example, that there was a lot of standby consumption on weekends. We can switch gears quickly and simultaneously get insights back that we would otherwise only discover with end customers. That makes us smarter and stronger together."
These kinds of insights from the Luqas Charging Hub can lead customers to automate certain things (HVAC control, lighting, etc.).
Technical Data
- Project type: Test site - charging plaza for compatibility development
- Location: Ghent-Seaport
- Systems: Luqas Charging Hub (Qbus), Alfen charging infrastructure (4 Alfen charging stations, various types)
- Applications: Load balancing, real-time monitoring, firmware compatibility testing
- Integrations: Grid and power measurement, dynamic distribution, Alfen + Qbus test software
- Management: Jointly by Qbus and Alfen engineering teams