Photo: Ionity
When electric vehicles first hit the market, they were advertised as saviors of the planet, because they have zero emissions, and our pockets, because it costs very little to recharge them. As the years passed, it became clear EV are not as clean as advertised. And now comes another bombshell: they’re not cheap to own either.
As the number of EVs on the roads is growing, so is the number of companies that provide charging solutions. In Europe, one of the networks with the greatest potential is Ionity, a conglomerate created by BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, and Ford.
The group currently has 200 charging station spread throughout 20 countries, and is asking 8 EUR per charging session, regardless of kWh used. But that will change starting January 31, and not for the better.
To put things into perspective, it’s a bit like this:
Presently, if you happen to own a 62 kWh Nissan Leaf e+ and could charge it from Ionity (see comment section below), you would pay 8 EUR per charging session. As of January 31, you’d have to pay 0.79 EUR / kWh, which translates into roughly 50 EUR. And those kWh would all be used up 239 miles (385 km) later, as per official numbers.
For 50 EUR, you could buy roughly 35 liters of gasoline in Germany and fuel your Golf VII 1.4 TSI with a manual gearbox and 125 hp. That should last you for over 370 miles (600 km), according to official consumption figures.
Aside from the usual, flamboyant mumbo jumbo, Ionity gives no other explanation for this decision. Its CEO, Michael Hajesch, says this is “an economically viable and transparent pricing structure,” but that’s a rather one-sided view.
As a side note, if EV owners happen to have a contract with some Mobility Service Provider (MSP), as charging station operators are called, they might get some extra perks, but that depends on each MSP in part.
The group currently has 200 charging station spread throughout 20 countries, and is asking 8 EUR per charging session, regardless of kWh used. But that will change starting January 31, and not for the better.
To put things into perspective, it’s a bit like this:
Presently, if you happen to own a 62 kWh Nissan Leaf e+ and could charge it from Ionity (see comment section below), you would pay 8 EUR per charging session. As of January 31, you’d have to pay 0.79 EUR / kWh, which translates into roughly 50 EUR. And those kWh would all be used up 239 miles (385 km) later, as per official numbers.
For 50 EUR, you could buy roughly 35 liters of gasoline in Germany and fuel your Golf VII 1.4 TSI with a manual gearbox and 125 hp. That should last you for over 370 miles (600 km), according to official consumption figures.
Aside from the usual, flamboyant mumbo jumbo, Ionity gives no other explanation for this decision. Its CEO, Michael Hajesch, says this is “an economically viable and transparent pricing structure,” but that’s a rather one-sided view.
As a side note, if EV owners happen to have a contract with some Mobility Service Provider (MSP), as charging station operators are called, they might get some extra perks, but that depends on each MSP in part.
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