Market reshuffle and rising electricity bills for public charging stations! Driving new energy vehicles doesn't save money anymore? Charging Station | Cost | Market

Recently, new energy vehicle owners in many places have reported on social media that the charging fees for charging stations have been raised. A new energy vehicle owner from Zhengzhou said that almost all new energy charging stations of different brands in the city have seen price increases. During certain periods, the charging cost has increased by nearly double.

Media reports also indicate that there has been an increase in the cost of using charging stations in cities such as Zhengzhou, Shanghai, Qingdao, and Chongqing.

Are new energy vehicles really not saving money? Which car owners are most affected?

Fluctuations in electricity bills have the greatest impact on taxi drivers

Guo Shijun interviewed some owners of new energy vehicles and learned that those who own fixed parking spaces and are equipped with household charging stations have not been affected by the increase in charging costs, but the cost of public charging stations has increased significantly.

After comparing prices through multiple charging apps, Guoshijun arrived at a public charging station in an office building in Haidian District, Beijing during a low charging period and found that the main group for staggered charging on site was new energy taxis.

Taxi driver Zhang Shifu told China News Service that charging during the current period is about 1.2 yuan per hour and 1.5 yuan or more during the day. His car needs about 50-60 yuan to be fully charged; But during peak hours or peak hours during the day, it takes about 80-100 yuan to go from empty to full charge.

Master Zhang needs to charge twice a day, and before charging, he compares prices using the charging software on his phone. He tries to choose a charging station that is close and cost-effective. However, due to the nature of the job, it cannot be guaranteed that the most affordable charging station will be found every time.

Fluctuations in electricity prices are a significant expense that taxi drivers are very concerned about. Master Zhang has calculated an "economic account" for his car cost: he needs to use about 100 kWh of electricity every day, charge once during peak hours and once during low periods. With an average electricity price of 1.5 yuan/kWh, the monthly electricity expenditure is about 4500 yuan.

If charging is done during peak hours, the average electricity price is 2 yuan/kWh, and the total cost is around 6000 yuan. It is not difficult to calculate that one staggered charging per day can save Mr. Zhang 1500 yuan in monthly costs.

"I have also encountered charging stations that cost over 2 yuan per kilowatt hour, and the high electricity costs during peak hours are truly unacceptable," said Master Zhang.

The charging pile market is undergoing a "reshuffle"

Summer is the peak season for electricity consumption, and residents and businesses use more equipment and electric fields in summer. The reason for the increase in electricity prices for new energy charging stations is not difficult to understand, and the increase in electricity prices also conforms to objective laws.

However, industry experts say that the price increase of charging piles is not only due to the shortage of electricity.

Zhang Xiang, a researcher at the Automotive Industry Innovation Research Center of North China University of Technology, stated in an interview with China News Service Guoshi Direct that the charging pile market is currently undergoing a "reshuffle", with most charging pile operators currently in a loss making state, and only a few leading enterprises supporting charging pile operations through other profitable businesses.

"In first tier cities, the average price of commercial electricity for operators is around 2 yuan per kilowatt hour, while for car owners charging at home, it is around 0.3 yuan per kilowatt hour. In addition, operators also need to pay additional parking fees to parking lots, which is a considerable expense, so operators are generally continuing to suffer losses." Zhang Xiang said directly.

Zhang Xiang further analyzed that the rise in electricity prices and the decline in national subsidies for charging stations have led to increased costs for operators, so charging station operators have to consider raising prices to maintain their funding chain. At the same time, the operating costs of charging stations include electricity bills, salaries of operation and maintenance personnel, equipment installation, hardware costs, and parking space leasing, so the costs are relatively high. So this price increase is not surprising.

How to solve the problems of rising charging station prices and higher vehicle costs for car owners? Zhang Xiang suggests that reducing costs and strengthening supervision are effective ways to solve the problem of expensive charging.

To reduce the cost of charging stations, measures such as reducing electricity and parking fees, and offering preferential rent should be taken. Relevant departments should also introduce favorable policies to support the development of the new energy vehicle and charging station industry. The problem of charging costs for new energy vehicles needs to be solved through multi-party cooperation, providing support for the sustainable development of the new energy vehicle industry.

After the price increase of charging stations,

Do new energy vehicles still have advantages?

Several industry experts have stated that although the price increase of new energy charging stations may have a certain impact on new energy vehicles, new energy vehicles still have overwhelming advantages compared to gasoline vehicles.

Huo Fupeng, Deputy Director of the Industry Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, recently stated in Beijing that China's new energy vehicles achieved significant results in the first half of the year, with production and sales, market share, and ownership reaching historic highs. The usage environment of new energy vehicles continues to be optimized.

Huo Fupeng introduced that in the first half of this year, China built 1.442 million new charging stations, including 351000 public charging stations. As of the end of June, China has built over 6.6 million types of charging stations and over 2200 replacement stations, further improving the convenience of new energy vehicle energy replenishment.

It is not difficult to see that although the price increase of charging stations may increase the cost of purchasing and using new energy vehicles, with the advancement of technology and market competition, the construction and popularization of charging stations will gradually accelerate. In the future, the charging facilities of new energy vehicles will become more convenient and widespread, alleviating inconvenience in use.

In addition, the continuous innovation of new energy vehicle technology, the gradual extension of battery range, the improvement of charging speed, and the intelligent improvement of charging facilities are all expected to further enhance the practicality and convenience of new energy vehicles.

Zhang Xiang also proposed from the perspective of the use of new energy vehicles that new energy vehicles have three advantages that fuel vehicles do not have.

Firstly, purchasing new energy vehicles can obtain free licenses in some first - and second tier cities, while in some restricted purchase cities, traditional fuel vehicles have expensive license plates and even require participation in license plate bidding or lottery, increasing the cost of purchasing a vehicle.

Secondly, new energy vehicles are not restricted by travel policies and have more convenient travel advantages. In addition, purchasing new energy vehicles can also be exempt from purchase tax, reducing the burden on consumers.

In addition, the charging cost of new energy vehicles is still lower compared to the maintenance cost of gasoline vehicles, and they have a higher degree of intelligence. They have rich vehicle computer interconnection systems, and many car companies have also applied their latest technology to new energy vehicle products, further optimizing the driving experience of new energy vehicle owners.

Although the increase in charging fees for new energy charging stations will have a certain impact on new energy vehicles, their advantages in environmental protection, policy support, and technological progress still exist. With the increasing emphasis on environmental protection and sustainable development in society, new energy vehicles still have promising prospects on the future road.