Range, charging stops, energy costs: is an electric car worth it?

Created: 04/23/2022, 13:30

By: Charlotte Borst

An electric car charges at a charging station.

(symbol photo) © Julian Stratenschulte / dpa

E-cars play a major role in the energy transition.

But is it worth buying an electric car?

Users and an e-mobility expert report on their experiences.

District

– Martin Roßnagl advises the Ebersberg-Munich energy agency on the subject of e-mobility and is currently receiving a large number of inquiries.

Roßnagl sends a message ahead of every conversation: "A purely electric car is the car with a promising future."

And there is now a wide range of purely electric models, from efficient small cars to large sports cars with heavy batteries.

Charging with solar power

Michaela Harlander has been a committed e-mobility enthusiast for nine years: "I would never switch to a combustion engine again," says the Kirchheim resident.

In 2013 her family bought a small Citroen C-Zero as a second car.

Michaela Harlander first got the electricity for refueling from the household socket, "I only refueled for two hours, I never drove my electric car completely empty." In the meantime, her family is completely committed to e-mobility and uses two which are charged with solar power from our own photovoltaic system.

A solution in which consultant Martin Roßnagl sees great potential, especially in rural areas, where clean electricity from the roof of a house can replace a coal-heavy electricity mix.

t the electricity from the roof: Michaela Harlander.

© Dieter Michaelek

Good driving experience

For Michaela Harlander, the environmental aspect was the deciding factor in favor of an e-car in 2013, but now she also appreciates the driving experience with powerful acceleration from a standing start and little noise: “An e-car is much more pleasant to drive.

It's smoother than a manual car.” She also loves that braking generates electricity and automatically charges the batteries.

Big differences

Roßnagl knows the reservations about electric cars when it comes to range.

“What if I want to go on vacation?” he is asked in almost every consultation.

"With e-cars, there are big differences in consumption and range." Long ranges can be achieved with heavy batteries with around 100 kilowatt hours, such as in Tesla models.

But a big battery isn't everything.

Even small cars with economical engines go a long way, such as the small Renault Zoe owned by Norbert Steigenberger from Aying, which he has been driving for 3.5 years.

With its 40 kWh battery, it has a radius of 300 kilometers in summer and 250 kilometers in winter.

And the Zoe models with a 52 kWh battery even manage 335 kilometers without a charging stop.

"Range is almost no longer an issue," says Roßnagl,

Charges 90 percent at home: Norbert Steigenberger.

© Dieter Michaelek

Michaela Harlander's C-Zero is more of a city car.

He can only travel 130 kilometers without a charging stop.

"For me, it's the right car for short trips." The family has now bought a Tesla Model X for long trips.

Non-stop 350 kilometers are no problem even with a sporty driving style.

energy costs

"The e-car is really fun when you consider the energy costs," explains Roßnagl, especially in view of rising energy costs: According to a sample calculation by the state agency "LandSchafftEnergie", you pay around one to two euros for 100 kilometers with your own PV power.

Anyone who uses electricity from the public grid at home at a cheap house rate (0.37 euros/kWh) costs around 7.20 euros for the same distance.

If you draw electricity from the public charging station, it costs around 10 euros (tariff 0.50 euros/kWh).

A good feeling when driving: Michaela Harlander's Citroen C-Zero has been quiet and environmentally friendly since 2013.

© Dieter Michaelek

Critical point loading pause

E-car drivers have to change their minds during charging breaks.

The stopover lasts at least 20 minutes: “Loading is the big sticking point, because it takes some time.

You will have to come to terms with that in the future and charge your car at home or at work,” says Martin Roßnagl.

Norbert Steigenberger confirms this.

"You have to learn how to drive." The physicist from Aying charges his Zoe 90 percent at home on the wall box with electricity from his own PV system when the sun is shining.

"If it's urgent and the sun isn't shining, I take electricity from the socket," says the 80-year-old.

"For further journeys, you have to plan more, where you want to make a charging stop and take a meal break or go sightseeing." Depending on the power with which it charges, a charging stop takes one to two hours.

184 charging points

A lot is also happening in the charging infrastructure: over the past two years, 184 charging points have already been set up at over 50 locations in the Munich district.

In 2022, the number of charging points is to be increased and, according to current planning in the municipalities, to up to 282 charging points at 100 locations, the district office announced.

promotions

E-cars are cheaper to operate and require less maintenance, but are still very expensive in general.

They owe the fact that they are competitive compared to combustion engines to the funding.

For pure electric cars, the state will pay the maximum purchase premium of 9,000 euros for models whose purchase price is less than 40,000 euros until the end of 2022 with an environmental bonus and innovation bonus.

The subsidy pot for wall boxes has now been exhausted, and no further subsidies are to be expected here.

However, many municipalities in the district give grants.