Five tips for economical AC power
Prices for Diesel and Gasoline vary depending on the time of day and whether one tanks on highways or in the city. The same applies to electricity. There are times when it is free, but often also at exorbitant prices. Here are some tips for electrocar drivers to ease the financial burden.
Charging electricity can be quite costly. At some fast charging stations, they call for 80 cents or more per kilowatt-hour. If the electricity consumption is 20 or more kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometers, it becomes noticeable in the wallet. Here are some tips to help reduce charging costs.
Roaming Charging
For most electric car drivers, using a charging app that allows charging at public charging stations across providers is recommended. For instance, the Mobility+-App from EnBW grants its user access to a large number of charging stations. Alternatively, one can also charge at charging stations on-site and pay directly to the provider, which can be quite expensive.
When roaming charging via an app, there are usually unit prices displayed on the app. Users should, however, pay attention to price differences between charging station providers.
Stay Flexible
The market for electricity suppliers has been dynamic for years. Therefore, it is worthwhile to compare regularly which among the independent charging station providers currently offers the best conditions. A certain flexibility is beneficial. In addition to all-network apps, there are also special offers from car manufacturers like Mercedes Me or MyAudi, which often offer favorable charging.
If a car owner is an electricity customer with their local electricity supplier, they should take a look at their mobile electricity tariffs. City utilities often operate charging stations in their cities, allowing private customers to charge relatively cheaply in public. In addition, network-bound offers like those from discounters, which attract customers with relatively low electricity prices, are also worth considering.
Home Wallbox
The most convenient and often cheapest way to charge electricity is at home using a wallbox. If a electric car owner has the legal and technical opportunity to install a wallbox at their parking space, this investment will pay off quickly.
Wallboxes are available for a few hundred euros, and installation costs from an electrician can add a few hundred euros. Through the wallbox, then the household electricity is used, which costs significantly less than at public charging stations.
Those who charge at home should also look for a favorable electricity tariff. Many local electricity suppliers offer corresponding tariffs. Alternatively, it could be worthwhile to look for electricity suppliers that attract customers with particularly favorable conditions for electric car drivers.
Solar Panel
Those who charge at home have particularly high savings potential if a photovoltaic system is connected to the power grid. Using free solar power instead of buying electricity not only helps the environment, it also significantly reduces the wallet. Every self-produced kilowatt-hour that is consumed instead of fed back into the grid is particularly valuable. However, installing a larger solar panel system is necessary for this.
A rooftop solar panel would be too small to generate additional cost-free charging electricity. Those who install a 10 kWp system will usually generate enough electricity to supply their house and a car.
The Wallbox must be able to communicate with the PV system. If the E-Car can charge bidirectionally, the traction battery is even used as a storage for excess Solar Power, which increases the self-consumption rate, and allows for a smaller and therefore cheaper stationary storage.
Employer Charging
Meanwhile, there are employers who offer their employees the opportunity to charge their cars on the company parking lot. In some cases, this is free and in addition to the salary and not as part of it. The catch: The employer-provided charging power does not have to be declared as a taxable benefit.
When the employer calculates the charging power consumed by employees, this usually also offers savings potential. Companies profit from lower electricity prices, which they can then pass on to their employees. In many cases, a kilowatt-hour can be charged 30 to 50 percent cheaper than at a private household.
- To further reduce charging costs, electric car owners can consider installing solar panels at their homes and connecting them to their wallboxes. This way, they can harness free solar energy and significantly reduce their reliance on expensive electricity from public charging stations.
- For those who have the opportunity to charge their electric cars at work, employer-provided charging stations can be a cost-effective solution. In some cases, charging at work can be significantly cheaper than at home, as companies often benefit from lower electricity prices.
- Solar energy is a crucial component in the transition to electromobility. By integrating solar systems into their charging infrastructure, charging stations for electric cars can become more sustainable and cost-effective, promoting the growth of solar energy and electric vehicles together.
