Charging an electric car: tips for drivers

At home, electric cars can be charged with a permanently installed so-called wallbox. A box costs about 600 euros plus installation. Tenants need the consent of their landlord for installation, owners need that of all co-owners. Experts advise against charging at a conventional socket: long charging can cause the power grid in the house to overheat.

Charging an electric car on the road

On the road, owners of an electric car can charge the battery at currently around 80,540 publicly accessible charging points. A charging station can be activated via smartphone app with a so-called QR code.

Payment is made by credit card, EC card, invoice, smartphone app, with the provider's network card or with a so-called mobility or roaming card. This is a map that can be used nationwide and is currently available from around 300 providers.

In the market practical test, the use of the charging stations with the help of the network card of a large provider proved to be difficult. It was not accepted everywhere.

Find charging stations

The coverage of charging stations varies greatly from region to region. There are still numerous gaps in the German charging network. Therefore, it makes sense to find out about the locations of charging stations before traveling by electric car. The apps of the providers provide an overview. Many navigation systems of electric cars also display charging stations.

That Charging station register of the Federal Network Agency provided incorrect information in a sample of Markt: The interactive map also showed defective charging stations that had not yet been put into operation.

Charging systems for e-cars in comparison

Charging an electric car at charging stations with alternating voltage (AC) takes longer than with direct voltage (DC):

At charging stations with alternating voltage, you will find a "type 2" socket. With an appropriate adapter, e-cars that have a "Type 1" plug can also be charged.

For fast charging with direct current, there are two charging connector variants: CCS and CHAdeMO.

The app of the respective charging station operator provides information on which variants can be found at the charging station. A charging cable must be brought by the customer.

This is how long it takes to charge

The charging time depends on the following factors, among others:

What charging power does the electricity come from the charging station?
Which charger is installed in the car?
What is the condition of the battery?
Which cable is used?

Most private wall boxes have a charging capacity of 11 kilowatts (kW). At public AC charging stations, electricity is often charged at 22 kW. DC stations supply electricity with 50 to 350 kW.

Example: In the BMW i3-e with a battery size of 37.9 kWh, an 80 per cent charge takes around 3.5 hours at 11 kW and only about 40 minutes at 50 kW. The remaining 20 percent charge more slowly. According to the manufacturer, a full battery is enough for about 260 kilometers.

What it costs to charge the e-cars

While electricity at a charging station at home costs about 40 cents per kilowatt hour, at some fast charging stations up to 79 cents per kilowatt hour are charged at peak.

Prices and tariffs at charging stations

At public charging stations, the prices and tariffs are often still confusing for many consumers. Some points of criticism from consumer advice centres:

The providers do not always charge only for the amount of electricity delivered. In some cases, consumers have to pay a flat rate per charging process - up to 14.88 euros, no matter how much electricity has flowed.

In some cases, the charging time is also charged in addition to the fees per kilowatt hour.

For payment by mobility card, some providers charge so-called roaming fees.

It is noticeable that the prices are not displayed at all charging stations. The providers are not legally obliged to do so. When asked, the Federal Ministry of Economics stated that it did not want to make any changes to this regulation. But: From July 1, 2023, you will have to be able to pay by EC or credit card at new charging stations.