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How much do electric car charging devices cost?
An ARERA Focus Group examined the electric car charging device market and device characteristics
ARERA, the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment, recently released the results obtained from a Focus Group on electric mobility in its final report entitled “Market and Characteristics of Electric Car Charging Devices”.
The research analysed the technical and price characteristics of chargers available in the market, with no restrictions on the car’s power output or the type of electric current (AC or DC) used to fuel the car. The information was later collected with the help of RSE S.p.A., a GSE subsidiary doing research in the electricity-energy sector, which contacted manufacturers to involve them in the initiative.
To investigate the market and the characteristics of the car chargers, numerous Italian and foreign companies with devices installed in Italy or that, according to ARERA, offered particularly interesting car charging products, were invited.
A total of 225 electric car charging devices manufactured by 24 different companies were analysed; powers ranged from 2kW to 350kW, corresponding to 4 different market segments:
Analysed devices cover a vast range of demands: from devices that meet the typical demands of a family and those for small professional needs (the so-called wallbox devices), to devices more suited to companies, commercial businesses and public administrations, all the way to larger devices designed for installation in motorways or major extra-urban junctions.
Findings show that most of the devices examined (193 out of 225) offer Slow and Quick charging, segments in which 78% of the companies taken into account operate, while only 9 of the 24 companies considered operate in the Fast and Super-Fast charging segments.
The costs for purchase and installation of these systems are in proportion to their power ratings. The average price for slow charging devices is approximately €1,200 (including VAT); the price for Quick chargers is slightly higher, between €700 and€1,300 (excluding VAT); a Fast charging point costs between €22,000 and €29,000 (plus VAT) but there are also less-performing devices at lower prices. Super-fast chargers are definitely the devices with the highest price tag, with lower power ratings running in the €26,000 to €40,000 plus VAT price range; as the power ratings increase, so do the prices.
In terms of “smart” features, in other words, the ability of EV chargers to interact remotely with control stations for transmission of data regarding the amount of energy supplied to the car and the possibility to modulate the current during charging from the control station (“Vehicle-to-Grid” services), the research demonstrated that only a third of the devices had these features, pointing out, however, that this gap will be narrowing soon as the technology evolves.
The research by ARERA draws a pretty comprehensive picture of what the market is currently offering in terms of electric car charging systems and devices across the multiple sectors of electric mobility. It revealed that the offering of these products is wide and diverse and that Italian industries are giving a lot of attention to this market. In fact, competition is lively in the medium and low charging power segments, whereas in the segments of the market devoted to fast and super-fast charging points, the situation is different, with a smaller number of companies involved.
Moreover, ARERA urged for and will be starting an experiment soon to promote private charging: beginning the next 1st of July, low-voltage customers will be able to get a free power increase of up to 6 kW at night or during holidays. The initiative is open to anyone using a charging device and meeting the technical requirements defined by the Italian Authority for Networks, Energy and Environment.
The research analysed the technical and price characteristics of chargers available in the market, with no restrictions on the car’s power output or the type of electric current (AC or DC) used to fuel the car. The information was later collected with the help of RSE S.p.A., a GSE subsidiary doing research in the electricity-energy sector, which contacted manufacturers to involve them in the initiative.
To investigate the market and the characteristics of the car chargers, numerous Italian and foreign companies with devices installed in Italy or that, according to ARERA, offered particularly interesting car charging products, were invited.
A total of 225 electric car charging devices manufactured by 24 different companies were analysed; powers ranged from 2kW to 350kW, corresponding to 4 different market segments:
- “Slow” for charging up to 7.4 kW (95 devices);
- “Quick” for charging up to 22 kW (98 devices):
- “Fast” for charging up to 50 kW (20 devices);
- “Super-fast” for charging up to 50 kW (12 devices);
Analysed devices cover a vast range of demands: from devices that meet the typical demands of a family and those for small professional needs (the so-called wallbox devices), to devices more suited to companies, commercial businesses and public administrations, all the way to larger devices designed for installation in motorways or major extra-urban junctions.
Findings show that most of the devices examined (193 out of 225) offer Slow and Quick charging, segments in which 78% of the companies taken into account operate, while only 9 of the 24 companies considered operate in the Fast and Super-Fast charging segments.
The costs for purchase and installation of these systems are in proportion to their power ratings. The average price for slow charging devices is approximately €1,200 (including VAT); the price for Quick chargers is slightly higher, between €700 and€1,300 (excluding VAT); a Fast charging point costs between €22,000 and €29,000 (plus VAT) but there are also less-performing devices at lower prices. Super-fast chargers are definitely the devices with the highest price tag, with lower power ratings running in the €26,000 to €40,000 plus VAT price range; as the power ratings increase, so do the prices.
In terms of “smart” features, in other words, the ability of EV chargers to interact remotely with control stations for transmission of data regarding the amount of energy supplied to the car and the possibility to modulate the current during charging from the control station (“Vehicle-to-Grid” services), the research demonstrated that only a third of the devices had these features, pointing out, however, that this gap will be narrowing soon as the technology evolves.
The research by ARERA draws a pretty comprehensive picture of what the market is currently offering in terms of electric car charging systems and devices across the multiple sectors of electric mobility. It revealed that the offering of these products is wide and diverse and that Italian industries are giving a lot of attention to this market. In fact, competition is lively in the medium and low charging power segments, whereas in the segments of the market devoted to fast and super-fast charging points, the situation is different, with a smaller number of companies involved.
Moreover, ARERA urged for and will be starting an experiment soon to promote private charging: beginning the next 1st of July, low-voltage customers will be able to get a free power increase of up to 6 kW at night or during holidays. The initiative is open to anyone using a charging device and meeting the technical requirements defined by the Italian Authority for Networks, Energy and Environment.
