Holiday driving with an electric car can be a bit of a jungle when the car needs to be charged en route in Europe. But now new EU rules will soon come to the drivers’ rescue.
The problem with charging is that different charging operators charge different prices, use different methods of payment and charge different fees – and last but not least, because it can be difficult to get an overview of the price before plugging in the car and starting the charging. In contrast to refueling with petrol or diesel, where no one is in any doubt about what you pay.
FDM writes that they have seen prices from 160 to 400 kroner to charge 40 kWh at the same stand at the same time, depending on which app or charging chip is used, and in one extreme case have heard of a driver who ended up with to pay almost DKK 550 to charge 6.5 kWh.
The EU will therefore put an end to that for now, without directly stepping in and dictating the prices from Brussels.
The regulation states that “the prices charged by mobility service providers to end-users must be reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory.” Which, translated into Danish, means that the operators must not set the price wildly differently depending on whether you pay with an app, a charging pad or with a payment card.
At the same time, the regulation states that the operator must clearly state the price before starting to charge – and there must be a full overview of all the different parts that make up the total price.
This includes, among other things, the price per kWh, the price per minute, the price per charging session and “any other pricing components that apply.” Which could be the blocking fees some operators (Tesla for example) use to avoid fully charged cars staying at the stand and blocking it for others.
The regulation states that all new fast and lightning chargers with an output of more than 50 kW installed from 13 April this year onwards must be able to accept card payment, so that you can charge without having to have the right app or chip. At the turn of the year 2026/2027, it will apply to all fast and lightning charging points that are located on the main road network (TEN-T) in Europe.
Chargers with lower power established after 13 April must also be able to accept secure payments, but this can be done using, for example, a QR code that you scan with your phone.
The parts of the regulation that deal with operators having to disclose prices either at the charging station or “using freely available, widely supported electronic means” will also come into force on 13 April this year, so that the summer holiday to Lake Garda can be driven without fear of, that there is a bill of DKK 700 for a single small charging stop.
2024-02-15 18:13:35
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