This question was asked by our reader Alexander Falko from Marance, Charente-Maritime (17):

“Fuel prices are always announced on totems, which allows comparison and competition. Why is this duty of informing not assigned to charging stations? »

There is currently no obligation to display prices per kWh

Indeed, even if some charging stations for electric cars display Price per kWh per totem at the entrance, as in electronic stations of the Lidl brand, atdisplay of prices for electric charging is far from the norm now.

There are several reasons for this: currently there are none no legal obligations to display prices at charging stations! Therefore, various operators are in no hurry to display them at the entrance to their stations…

In addition, according to the operators, the pricing of recharging an electric vehicle is a whole science. sometimes very difficult : in fact, the price per kWh can vary depending on the capacity of the charging station, the charging card used, which can lead to a different price, or even the car model. For example, some networks provide preferential rates for their own brands, such as at Audi Charging Hubs.

Mandatory display in the future?

The equation can become even more complicated when the operator changes its prices according to when the EV is recharging, taking into account peak or off-peak hours, for example. Hello headache!

According to the experts we interviewed, “e-totems” should eventually become mandatory. This would facilitate price comparison and promote competition as wellimprove service transparency to the consumer.

To do this, you will have to go through two steps. The first is this set the standard metrology for calculating the delivered energy, as on a traditional fuel pump. Then it would be necessary to determine the price per kWh common to all stations, which will necessarily be displayed. Not such a simple exercise in practice…