Time tariff models before the end

From April 2019, e-car quick charging stations will have to charge according to consumption. The time tariffs are therefore about to expire. The reason is the German calibration law.

If you fill up your car at a gas station in Germany, you can rely on the fact that you only pay for the amount of fuel you fill up. The reason for this is the German verification law, every driver knows the “verified to …” sticker of the responsible verification office on the petrol pump. So far, things have been different with charging stations for electric cars. Here, many providers rely on time tariffs: charging an hour costs X total.

This will end in April 2019 when the derogation for DC charging stations for fast charging expires. While it is relatively easy to document the power consumption with a calibrated meter for AC charging stations, for technical reasons this is much more complex for the quick charging stations.

Technology not yet available

For example, a spokesman for the charging station operator Ionity emphasizes that (as of February 2019) no suitable and verifiable measuring devices are currently available for DC charging stations. This affects not only Ionity, but all operators of quick charging stations. The providers therefore only have a short time to upgrade their charging stations accordingly and to revise the payment models, otherwise fast-charging devices that have not yet been converted must be temporarily shut down from April 1. According to the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management, of the currently 16,100 public charging points in Germany (as of December 2018), around 12 percent are DC fast charging stations.