Understanding ad-hoc prices: why the same kWh costs 40 cents here and 80 there

Anyone charging without a contract and without a charging card pays the ad-hoc tariff: pull up, pay by card or app, charge. Because every driver gets the same one, it is the only price that can be compared. Contract tariffs depend on whose customer you are.

How far the prices spread

In Austria the operators publish their ad-hoc tariffs. Analysing that data gives a middle price of around 59 cents per kilowatt hour, and eight out of ten stations fall between roughly 44 and 75 cents. Over 100 kilometres that comes to several euros of difference depending on the charger, for an identical amount of energy.

Reasons for the differences

Part of it comes down to charging power, since fast charging costs more than an AC post with 11 or 22 kilowatts. Location adds to it: motorways and city centres charge more than a supermarket car park. Some operators also bill for the time parked or add a starting fee, so the price per kilowatt hour alone does not yet give the final sum.

What comparing can be expected to achieve

A detour purely for the tariff rarely pays off, because the extra driving usually eats up the saving. It is more useful to factor the price into the stops that are due anyway. The route planner does that as soon as a tariff is known for a station.

The current figures for Austria, including the distribution and a comparison by operator, are on the prices page and are recalculated every day.