The electric car is the most convenient solution. This is what emerges from the Altroconsumo research which compared the charging prices of 265 electric columns located throughout the country: the cost varies from 36 cents per kWh for home charging to 93 cents per kWh for Ultrafast columns.
Electric cars: the institutional need for change
On March 28, the EU energy ministers approved the regulation which prescribes the stop to internal combustion engines for new cars and vans starting from 2035. This decision will certainly give an impetus to the use of electric and the search for alternative solutions such as hydrogen and biofuels. However, as far as electric is concerned, the data show that Italy is still behind: in January 2023, only 2.5% of registered cars were fully electric. Undoubtedly, a major limitation to the purchase of more sustainable cars is represented by the lack of refueling points: throughout the country, there are a total of 36,772 electric refueling points, but only last year there was an increase in 41% of dispensers, distributed in just over 15,000 locations (according to the latest Motus E Report).
Towards electrification: the costs to be incurred for an electric car
Altroconsumo photographed the current situation, comparing the charging prices of 265 “slow”, fast and home charging stations located throughout the country. The different ways to charge your vehicle (in the garage of the house, thanks to a wallboxor by exploiting public charging stations) certainly have different costs based on the type of offer. The prices, updated to last February, express the average of the main suppliers: they go from 36 cents per kWh of home recharge (considering the average cost of energy) to 93 cents for kWh of the Ultrafast columns, the fastest and most powerful. Given the convenience of home recharging, it may be interesting to take advantage of the bonus columns, relaunched by the Milleproroghe decree, which until 2024 recognizes 80% of the purchase price of a private station. Taxpayers have available a maximum expenditure of 1,500 euros, while for condominiums it reaches 8,000 euros.
Travel costs: the comparison
Furthermore, it is interesting to compare the travel costs of the different types of cars: petrol, diesel, electric. For this analysis, two scenarios were hypothesized (home-work or intensive use), with reference to a family of 4 people. The emerging data certifies that the journey costs of electric cars are much lower than those with internal combustion, in particular when using home recharging, in addition to low-power columns. Conversely, if you recharge your car at fast or ultra-fast columns, combustion cars are more advantageous. In the case of a small car used mainly in the city, the annual cost of refueling is about half that of a petrol car: 500 euros against more than 1,000. The convenience is also confirmed compared to a diesel car, whose annual cost is around 890 euros.
Electric cars: the subscription for the recharge can be convenient
For those who regularly use their electric car, consuming more or less the same amount of energy every month, it may be interesting to choose a subscription recharging package. If, month by month, the energy included in the subscribed plan is fully used, the cost per kWh is always cheaper. In fact, the price of a full tank according to consumption ranges from 0.58 €/kWh to 0.93 €/kWh depending on the top-up speed, while with a subscription, looking at the rates of the main market operators, you pay from 0.31 to 0.53 €/kWh based on the plan chosen. However, the problem can arise if you do not use all the included kWh every month: you risk paying a fixed cost higher than your own