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Monopoly position:
Electricity at the charging station is less expensive because of the market power of fewer providers
Photo: Jan Woitas / dpa
Electric car drivers pay significantly more at the charging station than they would have to.
Refueling is particularly expensive at fast charging stations.
Electricity there costs up to 140 percent more than in a conventional household.
With the somewhat slower variants, the electricity is 49 percent more expensive.
This is the result of a study commissioned by the Hamburg green electricity provider Lichtblick.
Together with the statistics portal Statista, Lichtblick examined how much it costs to load a VW ID3.
The study calculates here with 32 cents per kilowatt hour.
For a range of 100 kilometers, the price would be 4.48 euros.
In fact, the drivers of e-cars leave up to 6.68 euros at charging stations.
With the more expensive fast charging stations even up to 10.77 euros.
Refueling with electricity is most expensive if it is done via so-called third-party providers.
Those who do not have a direct contract with the operators of the charging station have to resort to them.
In his study, Lichtblick assumes that it is regularly 25 to 100 percent more expensive to charge the car in this way.
In individual cases, the operators of the charging stations charge prices up to four times as high.
Electricity providers control the market
Lichtblick attributes the high price level to the lack of competition on the charging station market.
Many providers would enjoy a local monopoly.
According to the study, regional electricity suppliers dominate more than 70 percent of the market in many cases.
In Munich, for example, the municipal utilities there provide 88 percent of all charging stations.
In Bremen, 71 percent is accounted for by EWE and a further 13 percent by its subsidiary, swb.
In view of the lack of competition, companies can set tariffs and charging conditions largely at their own discretion.
Ralph Kampwirth, a spokesman for Lichtblick, commented on the situation: "The data document a clear case of market failure. Regional monopolies are hindering the traffic turnaround."
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That is how much market power the regional electricity providers have.
The Monopolies Commission, which advises the federal government, has also been pointing out the lack of competition for a number of years.
As a countermeasure, she suggests: Providers who operate less than 40 percent of the charging points should be subsidized.
The Federal Cartel Office has also been investigating the charging station market for a good year.
The President of the Cartel Office
Andreas Mundt
(61) said: "The market is of course still developing. But we are already receiving more and more complaints about the prices and conditions at the charging stations."
The authority is due to present the first results this week.
Confusion with payment and registration
The study also criticizes the fact that the charging stations are still too opaque and inconsistent when it comes to payment systems or access. At most of the charging stations you cannot see how much the electricity costs there. Some providers require additional payments on top of the actual electricity price. For example, a minute price for the parking time at the column, or a basic fee for each charging process. The way in which you can pay at the charging stations also varies greatly. Most providers issue a charge card. Some others allow payments via app - but not all of them. Very few companies rely on third-party payment service providers such as PayPal.
It was possible to charge spontaneously with all of the providers examined.
But the same applies here again: different companies, different requirements.
At many charging stations that allow payment by card or app, you can also use them to register at the column.
In other places this is sometimes a bit more cumbersome.
Either you log in via the browser or you have to order a chip in advance.
Despite everything, there is still too little infrastructure
Despite all the criticism, Lichtblick emphasizes how important a public charging infrastructure is.
Then to go straight to the next point of criticism.
Especially in urban conurbations, where many people live in rental apartments, public charging stations are essential to enable e-mobility.
The number of public charging points is steadily increasing.
According to the Federal Network Agency, around 40,3000 charging points had been set up by September 2021.
But bright spot meets with the number.
Because the government had actually set itself the goal of 100,000 stations by 2020.
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