The lack of measurement and calibration devices means that the public recharging network has been called into question after various German media denounced that the customer receives up to 20% less than what he pays.
The recharging fabric or infrastructure is key in the expansion of the electric vehicle, since not in vain the limited autonomy of this type of mobility is still one of the main concerns of potential users.
That is why news such as the one revealed by Focus -and corroborated by ADAC- take special relevance, since it is not only a violation of the client’s trust in the service provider, but also harms the evolution of the electric vehicle sector that both needs to convince the user of its value as the main mobility choice.
ADAC recharged a Ford Mustang Mach-E, suffering an 18.5% loss of power
Specifically, Focus asserts that the absence of a calibration system at recharging points Germans makes it impossible to know exactly the exact energy that the user receives for the money he pays.
The Government of Germany approved in 2017 a regulation by which load operators were obliged to install energy meters before April 1, 2019. However, the charging networks have turned a deaf ear in many cases, with IONITY even communicating that it was giving up installing this type of device as they were not available for direct current fast chargers.
ADAC proves it
Despite everything, the cargo networks continue to operate without the German Government applying fines or any other sanction for these infractions, since the fear of causing a market crash of the electric car weighs more for an executive who does not want to stop the growth of a booming sector and who has received a lot of public money for it.
Even the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC), has conducted field tests to see to what extent what many have been claiming for a long time is true.
Óscar Magro has tested the Ford Mustang Mach-E, one of the most desirable electric SUVs on the market.
And the data prove them right, because a load test from 0 to 100% with a Ford Mustang Mach-E with its 88 useful kWh produced a total of 104.3 kWh, that is, a loss of 16.3 kWh or 18.5% of energy. This, translated into euros, means that in case of using an ultra-fast station with a cost of 0.6 euros per kWh, the Ford customer will lose about 9.7 euros, which is equivalent to about 90 km of autonomy.
The situation in Spain
This is what happens in Germany, one of the main European markets. But, what happens in Spain? The specialized portal Forococheseléctricos.com has consulted several charging point operators in our country to learn about the situation first-hand.
According Easycharger, this company has «started to install its own smart meters (with remote management) so that it is possible to measure both the real energy that comes in and that goes out. That is, the one that the distributor sells us and the one that we deliver to the EV user. This, on the one hand, gives us security and, on the other, we can guarantee total transparency in the energy that we sell to the customer ”.
For its part, Wenea informs that it complies with «all the requirements of the current regulations and, in addition, we actively participate in the working groups that have been created for the standardization of metrology in charging points, addressing this issue in the best possible way both for operators and consumers.
«We also advocate total transparency for the end user, especially with regard to prices and powers, and we are committed to the choice of chargers with high quality standards that minimize possible energy losses, thus complying with current regulations in Spain “, he concludes.