How nice would it be if you arrive at a charging station with your electric car and it says in large letters how much a kilowatt hour costs there? As you know it from every gas station. The reality is quite the opposite, as shown by the e-mobility update 2023 from the Chamber of Labor (AK).
Actually – naively viewed – it could be that simple, with electricity there is just electricity. At the gas station there is diesel, super diesel, super petrol, super premium petrol, then E5 and E10 and maybe even petrol. Electricity is electricity, and even green electricity has no trick.
Of course you don’t know the fuel prices either, because the prices are constantly changing, but at least they are written down. When it comes to charging, on the other hand, it is “extremely confusing because a price comparison is time-consuming,” the AK laments matter-of-factly. Transparency and clarity are still in urgent need of improvement, according to consumer advocates. The different rates, commitment periods, fees, etc. – hidden costs – when charging e-vehicles in public are not tangible.
A huge range of costs
The AK analyzed 49 tariffs from 23 providers. The comparison shows the average prices of a tank or loading category in August 2023 based on a distance of 100 kilometers.
According to the report, the price of gasoline for 100 kilometers is 11.08 euros, while the price of diesel is 10.13 euros.
With regard to electricity, there are several ways to charge an e-vehicle: with household electricity or at public stations, and there too with two payment options (collective labor agreement and direct payment). Charging with household electricity is the cheapest (4.62 euros). If you produce this with your own photovoltaic system, the price can be even lower. With collective agreements, the prices ranged from 6.35 euros to 16.88 euros. With direct payment, prices are possible from 9.61 euros to 15.52 euros.
According to the AK, these fluctuations depend on the billing of the kilowatt hours and base rates, as well as the infrastructure usage costs. Moreover, if you charge at a charging station that is charged on the basis of duration, the costs can really rise enormously if you stand still for too long. On the other hand, you may also incur blocking costs for other columns if you do not remove your car after the charging process has ended.
In its online charging compass, the ÖAMTC offers the possibility to compare the charging rates of all providers. That’s a start, after all, but still a long way from the clarity and transparency we’ve come to expect from driving an internal combustion engine.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
