– It is a bit provocative. That’s what electric motorist Else Marie Rossebø says about the charging companies not lowering the price for fast charging. Electric motorist Else Marie Rossebø tries to charge as much as possible at home, but occasionally she has to charge at charging stations. Photo: Ingvild Taranger / news In line with the rise in electricity prices, the prices for rapid charging of electric cars also increased. Although electricity prices in southern Norway have fallen by three kroner since last autumn, charging prices have not fallen as much. Rossebø tries to charge the car as much as possible at home, but occasionally it happens that she needs to fill the battery outside. – People react – I definitely think it is more expensive to have an electric car than it was before, I am not sure if I would have bought an electric car today. Before we got extraordinarily high electricity prices in Norway, charging prices per kWh were around four kroner more than the electricity price. Now the charging price is on average around seven kroner higher, according to the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association. Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, believes that consumers are being exploited by the charging companies. Photo: Jamieson Pothecary – We are frustrated, and feel that consumers are being taken advantage of, says Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association. They represent over 120,000 electric motorists, and want to become more. But Bu is worried that the charging prices could put a damper on this. – We are afraid that the charging companies will use the opportunity to continue making money from electric drivers who are dependent on charging the car. Calling the statements scary, Bu says that the reason given for the charging companies setting up the prices was solely high electricity prices. – Then people react to the fact that they are not reduced again, since electricity prices are now lower. Have you noticed that it has become more expensive to charge your car at a charging station? Photo: Ingvild Taranger / news Charging company Kople says for its part that they do not want to charge customers a higher price than they have to, and would have adjusted the price down if they had had the opportunity to do so. – We adjust the prices every month and follow the market closely. But we have other costs that must be covered by the charging prices, and they have increased to the same extent, says Tine Holm-Hansen, who is responsible for marketing and communications at Kople. Kople’s costs are divided among other things into electricity costs, operation and maintenance of chargers, electricity for lighting at the charging point and investments in charging point launches. Tine Holm-Hansen, marketing and communications manager at Kople, says that the charging company does not have the opportunity to reduce the prices further. Photo: Kople AS Holm-Hansen calls the statements of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association scary. – It creates a conflict between us who want to contribute to a green infrastructure. It makes no sense for us to charge a higher price than what customers are able to pay. Then we end up in a situation where fewer people choose electric cars, and that is not our intention at all. Assessing the price regularly, Holm-Hansen says that it will be difficult to go down to the same level of charging prices as we have seen in the past. – We see that the low prices we had last year were actually too low for us to continue on those lines and still have a good basis for operating well, and expanding the charging network further. Circle K understands that the price of fast charging can be perceived as high, but points out the same as Kople, that there are several things that determine this. – The price of charging is something that is assessed regularly. For competitive reasons, we cannot comment on future price developments, says communications manager Knut Hilmar Hansen.
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The price for charging the electric car has not fallen in line with electricity prices – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
