– I need electricity, and then you connect without thinking about what it costs. That’s what Hege Mortensen says, charging his electric car at Mortensrud. She finds it disappointing to hear that she pays NOK 7.99 per kilowatt hour for charging. It is almost NOK 7 above the spot price for electricity this day. The price of fast and lightning charging for electric cars is currently between NOK 6.99 and 8.40 per kWh. It is up to seven kroner above the spot price of electricity, which has stabilized at around one kroner per kWh in recent months. Too expensive The charging price must follow the price of electricity to a greater extent, says Petter Haugneland of the Electric Vehicle Association. Photo: Tom Balgaard / Tom Balgaard/news – The fast charging price has become too expensive in relation to the price of electricity, so they have to come down, says Petter Haugneland, deputy chairman of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association. The Electric Vehicle Association has followed the price level for electricity and fast charging over the past few months. When electricity prices increased sharply in 2021, the charging companies used it as an argument to increase the price of charging along the road. It is their figures that show the price development at the charging companies. – Reasonable level Stian Mathisen in Recharge says the price must finance the development of chargers. Recharge has 1,500 charging stations in Norway. Photo: Tom Balgaard / Tom Balgaard/news The charging company Recharge believes that the electricity price is only a small part of the equation. – The price of installation, connection to the power grid, purchase of charging stations and maintenance has increased over the past year, in line with the general price increase in society, says Stian Mathisen, business policy manager at Recharge. When Recharge set up charging prices in December last year, they justified it with increased electricity prices. Since then, they have reduced the prices by NOK 0.50, but in the same period the electricity price has fallen by approximately NOK 2. Mathisen nevertheless defends the price level for charging, even though the price of electricity has been an argument for increasing prices in the past. – Most people are familiar with the spot price, but we have not always got through with our message that several other factors come into play. – We think the current price level is reasonable. It is important to remember that now 85 percent of new car sales in Norway are electric. With so many new electric cars, we need to develop new charging infrastructure, says Mathisen. Recharge lowered the price by a further NOK 0.50 after this case was made. Easier to see the price Recharge is working to make the price more accessible on the chargers. Payment by card will soon also become more available at charging stations. From 1 July, new fast chargers that are ordered must have the possibility of card payment. The charging companies are nevertheless given the opportunity to install chargers that have already been ordered, which do not accept card payment. By the end of 2025, all new and existing chargers must be able to take payment by card. The Electric Vehicle Association believes that this is their profit. – This is something our members have been asking for for years. Had we not stood up and fought for the consumers’ cause, none of this would have happened, says general secretary Christina Bu in a press release. – OK to pay more Andreas Berge is also on a lightning charger at Mortensrud. He is surprised by the price. – It is a bit higher than I thought it would be. I thought it was down to around NOK 5. Andreas Berge predicted a charging price of around NOK 5-6 per kWh, and is surprised by today’s charging price of almost NOK 8. Photo: Tom Balgaard / Tom Balgaard/news He still thinks it’s okay to pay a bit more for fast charging. – It goes much faster, so I reckon you have to pay a bit more for the time savings. At the same time, when you charge at home you do other things. Here I just sit in the car and rather buy a coffee, he says.
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Fast charging remains expensive, despite lower electricity prices – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
