Charging e-cars for free has to end
It could have been so nice, but the good nature of companies is simply shamelessly exploited. Free charging of e-cars at Aldi, Lidl, Ikea and Co. must finally be ended – at least in the current form.
A commentary by Peter Hryciuk
Aldi, Lidl and Ikea want to do something good for customers
It’s hard to believe, but Aldi Süd has been offering its customers the opportunity to charge their e-cars for free while shopping for many years. Lidl, Ikea and other retailers have taken this concept as a model and have also been offering charging stations at new branches for some time. While there haven’t been any major issues with strategy and uncontrolled access in recent years, that’s changing now. The number of vehicles has increased significantly as a result of the premiums on the purchase of e-cars and new, really good e-cars. At the same time that Interested in free charging stations, which are at discounters and other shops. And that’s where the problem shows up.
The electricity bum in the Tesla Model S
Dealers who install an e-car charging station and provide access free of charge want to give their customers the opportunity to easily charge their e-car while shopping. This generosity has been shamelessly exploited for some time.
In our city with around 80,000 inhabitants, the first free charging station with 50 kW was set up at the new Lidl a few months ago. Every time I go shopping there after work or just drive by, I see this one red Tesla Model S parked there. Instead of going shopping at the Lidl, the driver sits comfortably in the vehicle, the seat nicely pushed back and plays on the mobile phone. Once I had to spend a little longer there and was able to watch the driver arrive, charge for exactly one hour, which is the maximum possible with Lidl, and then just drive away. An Audi E-Tron driver arrived, saw the situation and then parked in a normal parking lot while shopping at Lidl. It is definitely not intended that way.
While the number of e-cars is still manageable in our relatively small city, this is a big problem in big cities. E-car drivers, primarily those with a Tesla, even coordinate in WhatsApp groups to ensure a seamless transition at free charging stations and not have to wait – reports t3n.
The free e-car charging will therefore come to an end
The situation at the charging stations will become a problem over time, as more and more electric cars gives. The number of registrations is increasing significantly, since the premium is very attractive at a total of 9,000 euros. However, taking advantage of the free offers will ensure that the possibilities are discontinued. Lidl has already started introducing the eCharge app. Ikea has them speed throttledthat customers can load with. Sure, you spend a lot of time in Ikea when you go shopping. Aldi will also follow as soon as a company pulls the ripcord and ties charging the e-car to a purchase in the store.
That’s exactly what I would welcome. I want to buy an electric car in the foreseeable future. The Kia EV6 that I recently tested encouraged me in this decision once again.
Even Sony wants to build an electric car:
It will be interesting to see how the dealers solve the problem with the charging current bums. When you consider that you are at Lidl gets about 40-45 kW in one hour and which are currently worth over 15 euros, then free charging is of course worthwhile for e-car drivers. But the fact that the charging stations are blocked in this way and the benevolence of the dealers who promote e-mobility with the free charging stations is exploited is simply cheeky. Free charging while shopping, but not without shopping. This is how it must and will be in the future.
