Consumers’ Association: ‘Prices at charging stations unfathomable’

When charging an electric car at a public charging station, a considerable number of factors therefore influence the final rate. Consumers’ Association director Sandra Molenaar points out that the time of charging also determines the price you pay. “It is really incomprehensible for consumers; there are hundreds of charging cards and apps and they all have their own rates and conditions.”

The association itself conducted a sample of ten popular providers. That sample already revealed many price differences and also showed how opaque pricing policy can be. For example, the rates were not always clearly stated in the app or website, or it was not stated exactly which rates apply where. The apps that do provide that kind of information are sometimes incomplete, according to the Consumers’ Association. Researchers from the union found dozens of charging stations without price information. This is remarkable, because from 1 July 2021, charging operators will be obliged to share real-time information about all publicly accessible charging points in the Netherlands pursuant to the ‘Decree and Regulations for the Infrastructure of Alternative Fuels’. Apparently, that board decision is not really coming out well in practice.

According to the Consumers’ Association, anyone who charges at home does not automatically have to be cheaper. This is because the electricity price of the charging station at the driveway is continuously linked to the regular energy contract that someone has. When charging your car, you can then be the victim of the sharply increased electricity prices, according to the Consumers’ Association. At the public charging stations, the price increases are not yet implemented.