Will Charging Stations Ever Achieve Real Price Transparency and Simple Price Comparison? Here’s What We Expect!

Charging an electric car is supposed to be simple, without having to dedicate hours to discovering available tariffs and trying to compare the incomparable. You approach a charging station, and you see how much one kilowatt costs. Sounds simple, right? Why doesn’t it work that way, then? That’s what you are going to find out in this blog post.

• Two major transparency issues are the lack of price display on charging points and the difficulty of comparing prices between charging stations.

• Charging points installed after 13 April 2024 are required to follow the regulations aiming to make public EV charging more convenient and indiscriminate.

• Solutions for price transparency include stronger regulations, unified price displays, and open data sharing.

Paying for EV charging can be confusing because providers use different billing models, vary their prices based on time, location, or charging speed, and rarely offer clear cost breakdowns. In addition, legal standards for how prices must be shown are still in process of implementation.

Charging stations use various pricing methods. While some older ones bill you by the time you’re plugged in, others do it by the number of kilowatts you consume. Plus, prices vary depending on whether you're charging with AC or DC. On top of that, most providers and charge point operators apply tariffs, each with its own pricing structure. As a result, comparing prices requires a lot of time.

One of the biggest issues for a long time has been the lack of clear legal requirements for how prices should be displayed and calculated. Without a common standard, each provider does things differently – some list all charges in detail, others give only vague or incomplete information.

Pricing can depend not only on who owns the charging station but also on when and where you charge and whether it’s AC or DC. For example, charging at an IONITY charging point with their Power tariff will cost you €0.33/kWh in France and €0.39/kWh in Germany.

When you start charging with AC, you know it’s going to take a while. So you go shopping or walking around the city, sipping a cappuccino and trying out cakes from the new bakery. Once you come back to your vehicle, the final price for charging is EUR 10 higher than expected. The reason: blocking fee. This means your vehicle has been occupying the charging point for longer than permitted. For example, Aral Pulse charges €0.15 per minute after 120 minutes on AC charging and after 45 minutes of DC charging.

In many cases, you arrive at a charging point and still don’t know exactly what it will cost. Information on the station is often written in general terms (e.g., from 0.39 cents/kWh), and to see the real price in the app, you are often required to create an account first.

When it comes to refuelling, filling up a petrol car is a much simpler process compared to charging an electric vehicle. Petrol stations are straightforward, with clear price signs and flexible payment options. In contrast, EV charging points often offer complex pricing structures and limited ways to pay.

With petrol, it goes like this:

• You see the price on a large sign (€1.40/l, for example)

• You know it includes all taxes and fees

• You can pay easily with cash or a card

• The price is clear and upfront

With electric vehicles, it’s a different story:

• Pricing methods can vary a lot. Often you pay per kWh and at some older charging stations, you pay per minute. To spend less, selecting a suitable tariff is often necessary. But comparing options can be difficult due to the wide variety of pricing models used by charging providers.

• You need to watch out for blocking fees. In some cases, you need to pay for every extra minute your vehicle is connected to the charger after a certain time period.

• While sometimes, you can simply charge and pay with a credit card, at many charging points, you need to download an app and create an account first. A charging card is another way to manage topping up your car battery, but you need to order one before starting your journey.

• Prices aren’t always posted clearly at the charger.

• Charger screens and buttons can be confusing, as they are different at every station.

For beginners, EV charging can feel overwhelming. Naturally, it gets much easier with time, as you learn the most common pricing structures, find your ideal provider and download a helpful app to locate charging points and pay. However, some of the system imperfections affect regular drivers as well.

Lack of transparency isn’t just an inconvenience – it’s a barrier to mass adoption. Imagine if petrol stations only displayed their prices in the app. Would that be tolerated, especially by the older generations? Never. Showing clear prices is beneficial for several reasons:

• Trust in e-mobility grows: We can say many nice things about e-mobility being environmentally friendly and show CO₂ numbers improving as more people switch to electric cars. But it won’t lead to significant positive changes until all EV drivers are able to see charging prices clearly and become more comfortable with the system instead of feeling tricked by it.

• It reduces hesitation among first-time EV drivers: For those thinking about switching to electric, unclear charging costs could be a red flag. People are used to seeing fuel prices before they fill up. When that clarity is missing in the EV world, potential buyers may hesitate.

• It prevents "bill shock" after charging: Home charging is cheaper and more convenient than charging publicly. But even we, as a manufacturer of smart wallboxes, can’t deny the benefits of a fast DC charging point on a long trip — having your battery full in just 15–20 minutes is hard to beat. That’s why we advocate for transparent, surprise-free pricing. EV drivers shouldn’t associate public charging with bill shock.

If charging prices become too easy to compare, it could reduce competition, potentially increasing your charging costs. Moreover, many providers limit access to their pricing information for third parties. Additionally, pricing has been pretty confusing with no clear rules, but new regulations are starting to change that.

• Potential for reduced market competition: While transparency is generally seen as a good thing, regulators caution that it could backfire. If providers can easily track each other’s prices, they might be less motivated to offer competitive rates. This could result in more uniform pricing across the market and potentially higher costs for users.

• Charging app isolation: Some charging providers like to keep communicating with their customers on their own platforms. This way, they can protect data more easily and control the experience. But that doesn't do any good for the users. A lot of drivers prefer third-party apps, as they allow them to find and use charging stations from different providers. This means these users can access less information compared to those using original apps from charging providers.

• Lack of standardisation: When you realise how confusing and non-transparent charging pricing is, you might think, “That must be against the law!” But the thing is, for a long time, there had been no laws regulating it. Fortunately, that’s starting to change. Keep reading to find out what has already been done to improve the situation.

• Charging via third-party apps is often more expensive: The price at a charging point depends on whether you're using the provider’s own card/app or a third-party one. In the second case, the price is likely to be higher. Considering this, displaying the provider’s price wouldn’t add much to the transparency.

Furthermore, to get a fair rate, you often need a special tariff, usually only available through a website or app. So even if operators show all possible prices at the charging point, you might not be able to benefit from some of them without using the right app.

To fix the price transparency issue, there should be clear rules on how and where prices are displayed, making it easier for everyone, including elderly drivers. Charging stations should show prices in a standard way, both on-site and in apps, and operators should share pricing data with third-party apps so you can easily compare prices across different providers.

Let’s keep it simple: drivers want to know what they’ll pay before they plug in without using different apps to see prices. So, how can the industry fix this?

• Regulation implementation: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804, which we talk about in the next section, establishes uniform rules across the EU to ensure that electric vehicle recharging infrastructure is user-friendly, interoperable, and widely accessible. But the implementation takes time. Currently, public EV charging still presents many challenges. For instance, elderly people without advanced knowledge of smartphone functionality may struggle to get the correct prices and change their cars.

• Clear pricing at a charging point: It makes a big difference when drivers can see the price directly at the charging station, whether on a screen, a label, or a display nearby. This should include the cost per kilowatt-hour, any time-based fees (like idle charges), and fixed costs per session. Imagine pulling up to a charger and seeing: "€0.45/kWh + €1.00 per session" — clear, simple, and no app needed to decode it. And if you're using a third-party card or app, the charger could instantly show you the exact cost per kWh. Smatrics EnBW in Austria is one of the companies already making progress, promising to display all charging prices in a way similar to how prices are shown at conventional petrol stations. At the moment, you can already find prices for ad-hoc charging displayed in such a way, but they are often higher than tariff pricing.

• Make charging work without a subscription: Charging should be available even if you have never used that provider before. You pull up, tap a card or scan a QR code, and start charging — no need to download an app, register, or subscribe. The pricing should be just as clear and fair for ad hoc users as for regular customers.

• Open data sharing: Technology plays a big role in solving the transparency problem, especially the app isolation part that we mentioned before. Interfaces like OCPI (Open Charge Point Interface) or APIs allow real-time pricing data to be exchanged between different platforms. This makes it possible for third-party apps and maps to show accurate prices from multiple providers. Ideally, this would also include personalised prices based on special tariffs, so when you select your tariff in the "Filters," the prices are adjusted accordingly.

The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) aims to improve the situation through new regulations that came into effect on 13 April 2024. The focus is on making charging stations across Europe more transparent and user-friendly.

• Public charging stations are now required to clearly display pricing information for ad-hoc charging, including the cost per kWh, starting fee, and price per hour.

• For stations with a capacity of less than 50 kW, internet-based payment methods such as QR-code payment are now mandatory. Stations with a capacity over 50 kW must also offer payment terminals, moving beyond the use of charge cards alone.

• If a station doesn’t have a display screen, owners must provide pricing details through signs or stickers.

The regulations will be monitored by the Economic Inspectorate, and non-compliance could result in fines. While these changes apply to all new stations from April 2024, older stations have until January 2027 to meet the requirements. Overall, these improvements will make charging more transparent and convenient for all users.

Dynamic pricing at public charging points is similar to the flexible energy tariffs you may have at home, where the price changes based on demand. It is not common yet. E.ON tested dynamic pricing in 2023, where the cost to charge your car varied depending on the time of day. Tesla plans to offer such a system in the future.

This kind of pricing makes charging more sustainable. It helps spread out charging over the day, easing pressure on the grid. But if the pricing is too confusing or the price changes too often, it might lead to people charging at the wrong times, making peak demand problems worse. Additionally, during long trips, charging times aren't always within your control.

Let’s take a closer look at the issue.

• Dynamic pricing can be confusing, especially when other companies offer flat rates that don’t match real-time charges. This can lead to customer frustration and lost trust. Remember what we said: an EV driver wants to plug in and charge and not figure out the advanced distinctions between pricing models.

• Many charging networks work together through platforms like Hubject. Sharing real-time pricing across multiple stakeholders is technically and organisationally difficult, especially because customers expect clear prices.

• If prices are too low, everyone might rush to the same charging point, causing long waits and congestion.

Apps such as Ladefuchs and Chargepoint App show prices clearly, while charging networks like Plugsurfing care about transparency as well. The issue with differently structured tariff plans, on the other hand, cannot be solved unless charging providers agree on a standardised way of pricing.

Ladefuchs is a simple app that helps EV drivers in Germany compare prices at different charging stations. If you're looking for the cheapest ways to charge, this tool gives you an easy-to-understand overview. Interesting fact: The app is completely free and ad-free, created by e-mobility enthusiasts for the community. You can support them by making a donation or ordering some cute merch like hoodies, t-shirts, parking tickets for drivers blocking your charging spot, and more.

Pros:

• Offers price comparison for charging stations for free

• Easy to use thanks to the clear and clean design

• Helps find the cheapest charging option in Germany

Cons:

• Only works in Germany

• Focused only on price comparison, not navigation or charging control

We are happy to see that there are companies that care a lot about transparency among our partners. Last Mile Solutions is one of them. Their Chargepoint App gives drivers access to lots of charge points across Europe with real-time info on location, prices, and availability.

Pros:

• Access to over 350,000 charge points across Europe

• Filter options for location, speed, connector, and availability

• Available in 14 languages

Cons:

• Requires registration before accessing features

This app unites EV drivers and CPOs. With Plugsurfing, you are able to check prices in advance and charge pretty much anywhere in Europe without needing to sign up for dozens of separate accounts.

Pros:

• Access to over 850,000 charging points across Europe

• Unified payment through one app or an RFID key

• Upfront pricing is shown in the app before charging

Cons:

• Requires account creation before showing full features

• May add service fees on top of CPO rates