Expensive problem at charging stations: E-car drivers pay for unused electricity

If you drive an e-car, you need a good charging infrastructure. But billing chaos prevails at thousands of German charging stations. The reason is known, that the grievance is not remedied, does not cast a good light.

E-car drivers pay more: The downside of the quick setup

Thousands of charging stations in Germany are illegal. But the automotive and energy sectors as well as the state are looking the other way. The chaos at the charging station can escalate every time the new e-car is charged negatively affect the price. The only alternative, however, would be to build up the charging infrastructure much more slowly.

Reason for the problems, some of which have existed for years: Many fast charging stations are not independently calibrated. Actually, the discrepancy between the amount of electricity paid for and the energy actually charged should only be 1 percent. But many providers can only dream of such a low fault tolerance (source: Handelsblatt).

This would require more accurate electricity meters than those currently installed in fast-charging stations. Standard lawful fast charging stations are in Germany only from four providers confirmed: ABB, Porsche, Compleo and Alpitronic. Other providers such as EnBW, Ionity or Tesla often do not meet the legal standard.

Charging stations not calibrated, leads to unnecessarily expensive charging stops

The problem: If e-car drivers fill up at a non-calibrated pump, they can hardly be sure how much of the paid electricity actually ends up in the vehicle’s battery. Many manufacturers agree that charging losses cannot be completely avoided from a technical point of view. But the calibration guarantees that you only pay for what the e-car actually charges.

The Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWi) explained in 2021 that depending on the federal state between a third and a quarter of the charging stations are not calibrated were.

In 2023, many things are set to change, including for e-cars. But are calibrated charging stations included?

But there is no hurry, because the state examination turns a blind eye – in favor of the rapid development of the charging infrastructure. If you insist on calibrated (fast) charging stations from the start, “the charging infrastructure in Germany would collapse”says Thomas Schade from the Bavarian State Office for Weights and Measures.

Until the affected charging stations are retrofitted, the BMWi recommends price reductions there or even supply electricity for free. The Federal Association of Consumers also demands this, but this is only done in a few exceptions. In the end, it is the consumers who switched to an electric car at an early stage that bear the bill. The political pressure to make a quick change is particularly expensive for those who act in accordance with the government’s intentions.