Electric Car Charging Costs: Still Worth It?

One of the arguments for electric cars should have been lower operating costs. And that also applies, but only when you charge at home or slowly. However, those who do not have their own wall boxes and are dependent on public charging stations can cost almost 15 euros for a 100 km ride. And that’s not exactly attractive.

The world of refueling and charging are two different universes. While you come to the gas station with a regular car, you can find your way around the prices thanks to the lighted “totems” and pay in cash or by card at the cash register, almost none of this applies when recharging. Prices are non-transparent, price lists on chargers are rare, and a payment card or cash are, so to speak, of no use to you. You need an app for everything, and in the end, you will be horrified to find that 100 km of driving will cost you more than if you were driving an 8-cylinder Mustang. We are not exaggerating.

Price per kilowatt hour? A difficult question

While fuel prices in individual networks differ only cosmetically, the differences in electricity are gigantic. It depends on many factors. For example, whether you are a client of the given network and have chosen one of its packages, or you only charge once as an unregistered customer. But also on whether you choose slow charging with alternating current (AC) or fast direct current (DC). Time also plays a role in some networks. Charging during the day can be more expensive than at night. Accordingly, the price for one kilowatt-hour of electricity on Slovak chargers currently ranges from 0.28 to 0.79 euros.

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If we were to apply such a difference to the price of fuel, it would mean that, for example, at night you would fill up with petrol in your network for, say, 1.50 euros, but as a foreign client at the peak for 4.50 euros. Of course, electricity is a different commodity than gasoline and diesel, it cannot be stored, so there must be a balance in the grid when it is produced and consumed, which makes distribution more difficult, but we still feel that the world of charging deserves more transparency. Just open the price lists of charging networks and you will get a headache. Similar to the early days of mobile operators with bundles of prepaid minutes and “fines” just for calling a friend who has another operator. But if you don’t have a home wallbox, where one kilowatt-hour costs approximately 0.15 to 0.20 euros, so that a 100 km drive will cost you only three to four euros, you have to make a choice.

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It is not really easy to find your way around. There are nine relevant charging networks in Slovakia, and each one has different prices and a different form of charging for services. For example, the ZSE Drive and GreenWay networks offer various packages of prepaid kilowatt hours, in the Ejoin, Lidl, Slovnaft, OMV, Shell, Ionity and Tesla networks you only pay for the energy you consume. But even there the prices differ. For example, according to the mentioned time, or according to whether you use the company’s application when charging. However, the packages are only worthwhile for those who really use the prepaid kilowatt hours, because they are not transferred to you until the next month. So if you don’t spend a third, the remaining two will be all the more expensive. It is therefore necessary to know your profile, especially how many kilometers you drive per month.

Prices are still rising

What is certain, however, is that charging prices are slowly increasing and are not just cosmetic changes. The price lists change every year and in the absolute majority of cases upwards. Probably the biggest change was announced on March 1 by one of the largest charging networks in Slovakia – ZSE Drive. It introduced time zones for day and night charging and also changed the programs of prepaid minutes. Back in 2023, for example, you paid 69 euros for the Flat package (400 kWh). For that, you could drive an average of about 2,000 km, so it didn’t matter if you also lost the prepaid kWh. Even so, you drove cheaper than gasoline. But then the Flat package became more expensive to 89 euros and last year to 99 euros. Although its price has not changed since March, the number of prepaid kilowatt hours has dropped to 300.

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The price for one kilowatt-hour thus increased from 0.25 to 0.33 euros and, compared to the year 2023, almost doubled. The good news, however, is that prepaid kilowatt-hours also apply to the most powerful Drive X chargers (over 300 kW). This changes the view of convenience. New is the Start package with a subscription for only 2.99 euros, where charging prices range from €0.24 (night AC) to €0.59 (day DC). However, if you are just a guest and charge once, you will pay even €0.49 for slow AC charging and up to €0.79 for ultra-fast, with a power of up to 350 kW. Which are some of the highest prices. However, it must be said that as far as flat rates are concerned, the prices are still competitive.

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The price list was also recently modified by the Ejoin network, which maintains the model without monthly fees. She even reduced the prices for registered customers by one cent. The advantage is that it has a uniform price for DC charging, whether it is a charger with a power of 50 or up to 400 kW. So if you use its ultra-fast chargers, one kilowatt hour will cost you only €0.38, which is one of the lowest prices, but 10 cents more than slow AC charging. And there is no risk of running out of prepaid minutes. We also observed price corrections in the price list of another large network, GreenWay, but these are cosmetic adjustments for one-time charging, where prices dropped by approximately one cent. In the networks Slovnaft, Shell, Lidl, OMV, prices have remained at their original level this year.

Each network has its peculiarities

The peculiarity of Slovnaft is that after 30 minutes it charges you one cent extra for each additional minute of charging, but it is the only network that allows payment for charging directly in the store for 20 or 40 kWh. The OMV network is special in that the price per kilowatt-hour is 10 cents higher on chargers directly at gas stations than when it comes to its charger outside a gas station, for example in the Billa chain. OMV explains this with services at “pumps” and 24-hour operation. It has also equipped its chargers with a payment terminal, which is handy because you don’t need another payment gateway or app. Regarding the policy of the Tesla Supercharger network, we must mention that it does not have a fixed price list and that the prices depend on whether you charge during peak hours or at night. Prices also vary depending on whether you charge the Tesla or not. For owners of other electric cars, prices per kilowatt hour are at least 10 cents higher.

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Don’t you know it? Then you have the opportunity to spend some time studying the current price lists that we have prepared for you. But beware, these are not all prices. Individual networks cooperate with each other and their cards pay each other. So, if you have a ZSE Drive charging card, you can charge with it, for example, in the GreenWay, OMV (Billa) or Ionity networks. And the reverse is also true. But in this case it is domestic roaming, so different rates apply and the charged kilowatt hours are not part of the prepaid package, they are charged separately. So we are once again in the early days of mobile operators. But the good news is that the number of chargers in Slovakia has increased. And that’s good, because there are still white spots on the map of Slovakia. If it weren’t for shopping chains like Lidl or Tesco, you wouldn’t have anywhere to charge your electric car in Hnúšte or Revúca.