2023-08-23 06:30:25
The European Union has approved a new directive that should ensure that driving electric cars is less of a headache in the future: from 2027, charging station operators must clearly indicate the price and you must be able to pay with a regular payment card. But the EU is less ambitious than it initially appeared, according to our mobility expert Brecht Vanhaelewyn: the obligation does not apply to all charging stations.
While you can fill up with fossil fuel everywhere with common means of payment – money or at least a payment card – it is a much more nuanced story for electricity. Today, only a small number of charging stations allow you to use a payment card. Instead, a system with cards (or apps) from specific providers is common. You can use this to tap power at specific networks, but not at any charging station.
That is why many users of an electric car carry more than one pass. This is a good idea, especially if you travel abroad often. However, the obligation to work with specific providers is cumbersome, is sometimes associated with an opaque pricing structure and can even entail fixed costs (such as a subscription). Europe wants to get rid of that system. Charging stations must display a clear price and you must be able to pay with a traditional payment or credit card.
Anyone abroad who still wants to use local charging stations with a slow charging speed will still need passes or apps from one or more providers after 2027.
HLN mobility expert Brecht Vanhaelewyn
The directive as it has now been approved will take effect from 1 January 2027. However, it has been adjusted on crucial points compared to previous drafts. For example, the new obligations do not apply to all charging stations, although that was originally intended. Only charging stations that supply 50kW or more will have to comply. These are so-called ‘fast charging stations’ that you will mainly find on and around highways and sometimes even have a capacity of up to 250 kW. Poles in traditional parking lots, in towns and villages usually have a much lower flow rate between 7 and 11 kW. That is what is called slow charging stations. Depending on the size of the battery, it can sometimes take an entire night to charge an electric car. For those charging stations, the current system of the specific operators continues to apply.
Large journeys with an electric car – that is, traveling – will become easier thanks to the new directive. But those abroad – where the electricity is usually cheaper – still want to use local charging stations with a slower charging speed, will still have to work with cards or apps from one or more providers after 2027.
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