Why EV Charging Prices Remain Hidden From View

Unlike petrol station signs showing fuel prices, is there a way to compare rapid EV charging tariffs? I’ve noticed the price per kW is buried inside each charging app. I appreciate that at some sites you often have no alternative, and sometimes there isn’t even a charger available or working. Still, simple comparisons would encourage price competition. – C Clancy, Co Dublin

That’s a very fair observation – fully transparent pricing strongly influences consumer behaviour and can be an effective lever to push prices down. With recent hikes from major electric vehicle (EV) charging providers, we could use every tool available. There is some forecourt-style signage for EV rates. EG Group in the UK, which currently runs roughly 300 fuel forecourts – though it is in the process of exiting that market – had started adding charging prices to the “totem pole” displays where you’d normally see per-litre costs for petrol and diesel. To my knowledge – and I’m open to correction – no one in Ireland has yet adopted that approach. Clearly, there’s an expense involved in doing this – those “totem pole” displays typically only show two figures, one for petrol and one for diesel, so you’d need forecourt operators to invest in new hardware to show charging prices up high where everyone can spot them.

There is pricing information in the many apps required to access charging points, but of course, checking an app while driving is often unsafe or illegal. However, other options exist. “The number one thing you have to remember is that this is an industry still in its infancy, so we’re still very much at the stage of working out how best to do these things,” says Ivan O’Connor, head of charging provider ePower. “What I can tell you is that we’re currently starting to roll out chargers with 27-inch display screens, on which the price for charging can be clearly displayed. It also becomes an opportunity for on-charger advertising, which is a potential revenue stream, which will encourage the uptake of charging points. “Obviously, not everywhere has one of those service station totem poles on which to display charging costs, but I think it’s worthy of consideration for other sites where we might have some signage saying ‘EV charging here’ and integrating into that a petrol station-type visual display of the price per kW. That said, being honest with you, mobility charging hubs are expensive things to stand up, so any additional costs on top – such as for a live pricing display – will always be a challenge. There’s always that bit of friction between doing what you’d love to do and doing what’s economically viable.”

There are further possible solutions, such as showing live prices via Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze or other navigation providers. Not only could you glance at your phone to compare prices before you leave, but those mapping platforms integrate with in-car displays through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and so could be checked safely while driving. Likewise, most electric vehicles now include built-in sat-nav with live connected services that can not only show charging tariffs, but also indicate how many chargers at a chosen destination are currently free. One factor that could reshape on-the-go EV charging and its cost is the entry of discount refuelling brands, notably supermarkets. Chains like Tesco know that low petrol prices attract customers who will often also buy bananas, bread and biscuits. That business model adapts well to EVs, too: by luring EV drivers with reduced-rate charging, retailers expect those customers to remain on site for several minutes or perhaps up to an hour, and to plan shopping trips around charging stops. An industry source said that the arrival of such discounters into the charging market will “move the dial” on charging costs, and that “they will not sell at high-street prices, they live and die by discounting”.

Presumably, if these charging operators intend to charge you less per kWh, they’ll want people to know about it, so expect to see many more prominent displays of price per charge in the months ahead.