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Are charging stations subsidized? That could be a good excuse to add regulations. I've heard the subsidies are the reason why there's so many shitty charging s

Are charging stations subsidized? That could be a good excuse to add regulations. I've heard the subsidies are the reason why there's so many shitty charging stations. People build them, collect the subsidies, and never actually care about running it well. A silver lining is at least the space is reserved once we decide to get serious about fixing this as a society.

mschild 2mo ago
Charging stations just need to function like regular gas stations. Prices need to be made available online and prominently displayed at the entrance of the station. They shouldn't allow cheaper prices for subscriptions or even blocking any access without one.
- LtWorf 2mo ago
  Gas stations do have cheaper prices for subscriptions often.
  - mschild 1mo ago
    Depends on country I suppose. The main complaint from me is the difference in price and subscription requirement to even be able to use some of them though. Subscriptions from major charging providers can easily run 15 Euros a month and for that you get electricity for up to 50% cheaper per kWh. There are also a lot of providers that you simply cannot charge with unless you are subscribed. Payment is only possible through their app or they send you a physical rfid token that's linked to your account. In my town (200k inhabitants) roughly 40% of stations require you to sign up with the provider first before being able to use it.
- jwr 2mo ago
  Yes, they should function like gas stations and be regulated similarly. When I approach a gas station, I see the prices usually on large signs. If not, I always see the price I am actually paying displayed on a screen. None of these things are true for an EV charging station, which I think should be regulated. Cheaper prices with subscriptions are not a problem at all. It's just that I should always see the final price that I will be paying per kWh before starting to charge. On a related note, there is already a plug-and-charge system that identifies the car when it gets plugged in and is capable of charging the owner, but it almost never works. This is also something that should be mandated for larger EV adoption.

mschild 2mo ago

Charging stations just need to function like regular gas stations. Prices need to be made available online and prominently displayed at the entrance of the station. They shouldn't allow cheaper prices for subscriptions or even blocking any access without one.

LtWorf 2mo ago
Gas stations do have cheaper prices for subscriptions often.
- mschild 1mo ago
  Depends on country I suppose. The main complaint from me is the difference in price and subscription requirement to even be able to use some of them though. Subscriptions from major charging providers can easily run 15 Euros a month and for that you get electricity for up to 50% cheaper per kWh. There are also a lot of providers that you simply cannot charge with unless you are subscribed. Payment is only possible through their app or they send you a physical rfid token that's linked to your account. In my town (200k inhabitants) roughly 40% of stations require you to sign up with the provider first before being able to use it.
jwr 2mo ago
Yes, they should function like gas stations and be regulated similarly. When I approach a gas station, I see the prices usually on large signs. If not, I always see the price I am actually paying displayed on a screen. None of these things are true for an EV charging station, which I think should be regulated. Cheaper prices with subscriptions are not a problem at all. It's just that I should always see the final price that I will be paying per kWh before starting to charge. On a related note, there is already a plug-and-charge system that identifies the car when it gets plugged in and is capable of charging the owner, but it almost never works. This is also something that should be mandated for larger EV adoption.