In my previous article on charging cars at home we analysed the minimum electric power to have contracted with your local electric company. We also looked at the different types of sockets to have and the procedures to follow if you live in a community of owners.
In this article we will go one step forward and will examine the best tariffs to have and the differences of charging the car at home compare to public charging points.
Cost of recharging the car.
By other way, it is necessary to consider the cost of the recharge point itself, depending on its power, safety measures and types of connectors. The most basic have a Schuko connector (the one used for electric ovens etc in any home), others have European Mennekes connector (or type 2) and others the Yazaki (or type 1). As a quick guide the prices will be between 500 and 1,500 euros….a big difference so check beforehand.
Contract costs and electricity.
Few people have read in depth the electricity bill, and it is convenient to do so. The most advantageous rate is the lowest rate of 3.45 kW with time discrimination, you will pay every kWh of consumption to 0.067189 euros. Each kilowatt of available power costs 3,503,605 euros. For 3.45 kW of power, so you would pay a fix rate of 12.09 euros per month, consumption and electric taxes go separately. That is the fixed term contract.
However, with this power you cannot recharge at 16 amps, the fuses would trigger off when exceed the 3.45 kW.
Therefore, to charge 16 amps requires more power contracted. A single-family home usually has more power; 16 amps are not a problem.
An electric car consumes about 12-14 kWh per 100 km
Without the hourly discrimination type of contract, the 30 kWh of a Nissan Leaf could recharge with 3.82 euros, without considering losses. With nightly rate it would go down to 2 euros.
Returning to the example of 10 amps, to get energy to do 100 kilometres, on average (13 kWh), I would need about six hours and it would cost me 0.87 euros. Without time discrimination, it would not reach 2 euros. That cost is unattainable for any car with a thermal engine, even if it uses gas.
Hence the importance of seeing the bill, to give an estimate of how much it would cost to recharge. If a second contract is needed, the fixed term or the contracted power would have to be paid separately.
Seen the seen, one understands that it is not viable to place a quick recharge point at home (requires 40 kW of power) unless you have a very healthy current account. It would be 140 euros per month only of contracted power, even if the car was not loaded even once.
New possibilities: customized plans from electric companies.
Custom plans have emerged from the popularization of the electric car. Through them, the electric companies offer different possibilities to charge our electric cars at home. Generally, these plans have especially advantageous conditions during the night hours and can also be associated with the cost of installing the recharge equipment to a monthly fee.
Without going any further, as of October 18, 2018, the electric distributor Iberdrola offers an "Electric Vehicle Plan" which ensures that recharging during the hours promoted (from 1:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.) can be have 100 kilometres for 50 cents (slightly more than 60 cents taxes included). This plan can be complemented with the "Smart Mobility" solution, which includes the installation of the recharging point as well as the possibility of controlling all the recharges from your mobile.
For its part, Endesa offers its "Integral Recharge Electric Vehicle Solution" that includes installation, maintenance, warranty and payment facilities. In addition, there is the possibility of combining this solution with the "Tempo Rate" through which you can recharge up to 200 kWh bimonthly to a cost of zero euros in the term of energy.
Many times, this type of offers imply very advantageous conditions in the night hours in which the electric car is recharged, but they are more expensive in the rest of the hours of the day.
In any case, before contracting an offer of this type it is important to analyse it well and to take account to know what is best for you. Some people prefer a tailored plan where they take care of everything (installation of the equipment, maintenance, have a mobile app for managing the recharge ...) and there are those who prefer to get involved more, install the recharge point on their own and then hire electricity from a company in the market. Our recommendation is always to take the time to think it over and study the possibilities.
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