HIDDEN CHARGE OF CHARGING UP EVs
ARE electric vehicles (EVs) really three times cheaper to run compared to a petrol car?
That’s what we’re being told in fuel stations that now have to proclaim how much it costs to drive 100km under new rules.
The first batch of posters show that it’ll cost more than a tenner to drive 100km in a petrol car, €8.95 in a diesel – and just €3.18 in an EV.
The figures are provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) – and have caused something of a backlash.
Radio station Midlands103 warned listeners that it costs €11.97 to drive 100km if you power up your EV at a fuel station.
The SEAI calculate that 90% of charging is done at home – where electricity is a fraction of the price that you will pay on the forecourts.
The SEAI-guided Government would want to hurry up in solving this issue before forcing everyone to drive EVs in a few years time.
IF you do charge your EV at home, you can pay even less than the SEAI figures indicate.
‘Based on a 45kWh useable battery size, it’ll cost on average €17.50 to charge an EV from full to empty on a standard electricity tariff,’ comparison site Switcher.ie calculates.
‘However, switching to a time-of-use tariff and charging an EV overnight will halve the cost to around €9.00.’
It advises EV drivers to shop around for the best supplier that offers tariffs designed for electric car drivers, or smart plans that offer cheaper night rates.