Ionity has announcement that its terminals intended for the fast charging of electric cars were going to switch to billing for the energy consumed and no longer for the time spent in France. From the first of July, it will be necessary to count 0.69 € per kWh consumed on the fast terminals and 0.39 € for the slow terminals (up to 50 kW of power). A change that was expected and which corrects a French exception: the number one European charging station outside of Tesla was previously charging €0.79 per minute.
This time-based pricing was a response from Ionity to a French regulation that complicates the sale of electricity. The legislation imposes precise rules for the measurement of the energy sold and while waiting to be able to respect them, the consortium invoiced a charging service, rather than electricity. Pay-per-minute had the advantage of simplicity, but it was also very unfair, with a much better price for faster-charging vehicles than for slower-charging ones. Moreover, the power decreasing with the level of charge in the battery, the price per kWh increased during a recharge.
Like all the major players on the market, the company is finally able to invoice the kWh of electricity, equivalent to the liter for thermal vehicles. At €0.69 per kWh, Ionity will become much more expensive for drivers of vehicles capable of handling high power, but much cheaper for others who struggled to reach 100 kW. The network of Tesla superchargers, which is gradually opening up to all cars, is in the same tariff zones for drivers of other brands. Other competitors are a little better placed at the moment, like Fastned which charges €0.59 per kWh or Allego which is at €0.55.
