Plug & Charge: Will it cost drivers more?
Owners using carmaker roaming networks face significant markup on public prices
Hello, I’m Tom Riley, and welcome back to The Fast Charge, a British EV newsletter.
Today’s edition is a day later than usual because my laptop was stolen just before the weekend. To reassure you, if you’re a subscriber – free or paid – my laptop was encrypted and secured – it’s also been remotely wiped. If you’re still concerned, drop me a message.
Top story in the newsletter this week… with ‘plug and charge’ adoption growing, my analysis of carmaker roaming networks suggests it may risk landing drivers with much higher bills.
Elsewhere… EV leaders react badly to the fuel duty freeze extension, a Reform-led council has launched a tender for thousands of chargers, and London is set to get a new 36 bay charging hub.
As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn. Also, as an early heads up, there will be no edition during the first week of June – hence the bigger edition last week!
Carmakers found adding more than 50% to contactless prices
Summary: The price of public charging through your car could be some 11.5% more than the standard contactless price, based on a Fast Charge analysis of 15 individual charging sites in London.
On average… prices set by major car brands that operate their own roaming networks, including BMW and Hyundai, were found to be around 9p per kWh higher compared to the average standard price (aka, the one offered via contactless or direct payment). My analysis was conducted using the service A Better Route Planner (ABRP) and cross-referenced against operator pricing. Findings in the table below.
In one exceptional case… I found that BMW owners using its free ‘Flex’ card could end up paying 58% more to use a lamppost charger provided by Shell Recharge Ubitricity – the UK’s largest operator. Typically, these chargers cost 55p per kWh for members of the public. However, several carmaker roaming networks charge way above this, including BMW (87p), Hyundai (83p), and Smart (83p).
Elsewhere… I found several carmakers listing fees up to 53p per kWh for using a charger in a Sainsbury’s carpark which, according to Zapmap, is free.
