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Date Published: 11/10/2021
ARCHIVED - Electric vehicle charging costs skyrocket in Spain
The average annual cost of charging an electric car has increased by 257 euros due to soaring electricity prices
While authorities across the globe are pushing drivers to switch to electric cars to combat global warming, the cost-effective promise to consumers in Spain doesn’t appear to be bearing fruit, as a new study by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) shows that while last year recharging an electric car cost an average of 190 euros, the price has skyrocketed to 447 euros in 2021.
The increase in cost is due to the soaring price of electricity in the wholesale market, a rise that has been making headlines for several months, but this is cold comfort to drivers of electric vehicles who have experienced an average increase of 257 euros in just one year – this price is based on a vehicle that is only plugged in during off-peak hours and travels just 10,000 kilometres a year.
The main advantage of an electric car over one that runs on petrol or diesel is that they save money by avoiding refuelling. This is clearly no longer the case, however, as the OCU has also observed an extortionate increase in prices road side charging points, which have gone from 0.790 euros/kWh to 0.825 euros, a staggering three times higher than the off-peak rate.
Despite all this, the OCU still recommends that drivers purchase an electric vehicle over a regular fuel model, insisting that not only do they help the environment by reducing emissions but actually see a return much quicker. At the outset, an electric car costs an average of 7,500 euros more than its traditional counterpart, but according to the organisation, it will pay for itself in between two and a half and four years.
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