“I’m watching the state notary in suspense. He shakes the biscuit tin and briskly produces a lot. ‘Knorrestein Service Area: number 1 Fastned.’ I glance at my Fastned partner Michiel Langezaal. He can’t help grinning. We’ve got that one too!” This is one of the exhilarating episodes in The Fastned Story, which relates the account of the Dutch start-up, and brainchild of Bart Lubbers and Michiel Langezaal. Fastned is the first company in the world to build a nationwide charging station network for electric cars. This is the solution to the chicken and egg problem that has hampered their take-off. The Fastned Story reads like an adventure book. You join the pioneers as hey deal with setbacks, solve puzzles, and savor their victories. The Fastned Story shows the realities of a start-up, and is an eyewitness account of the rise of electric cars. BART LUBBERS is an entrepreneur, and founded Fastned with Michiel Langezaal. He read history at the University of Utrecht and did an MBA at the Rotterdam School of Management. Bart is also one of the founders of the Dutch edition of the newspaper Metro.
