As more and more people use electric cars for driving in Germany, many retailers have begun charging customers for charging their vehicles - with Lidl recently announcing that it would follow suit.

Lidl to introduce charging fees for e-vehicles

For a long time, people driving e-cars in Germany could charge their vehicles for free in certain retailers' car parks. However, with more electric vehicles (EVs) now on the roads and the price of electricity rising, the cost of charging EVs has become too expensive for these retailers, with many deciding to introduce fees for charging. This includes Lidl and Kaufland, their parent company Schwarz Group announced on Monday.

Lidl and Kaufland currently maintain around 1.300 charging points, but have been overwhelmed with energy costs as more and more people charge their cars there. In 2020, only an average of four cars would be charged each day at Lidl charging points and nine at Kaufland. In 2021, these numbers doubled. Now, each charging point at Lidl averages around 15 charges on peak days; 20 at Kaufland.

The international company announced that from September 12, 2022, a fee would be charged for electricity used for vehicle charging. This will amount to 29 cents per kilowatt-hour at AC charging points with a charging capacity of up to 43 kilowatts. At DC charging points with a capacity of up to 149 kilowatt hours, a kilowatt hour will cost 48 cents. At individual locations which provide an output of 150 kilowatt hours or more, drivers will be charged 65 cents per kilowatt hour.

Number of retailers charging for charging on the rise 

A survey by the EHI Research Institute in Cologne has revealed that more and more retailers have begun introducing fees for their charging stations over the past year. In the last 12 months, the proportion of retailers charging fees has increased from 29 percent to 42 percent, according to the study. However, around 26 percent of retailers offer reduced rates, while 15 percent of retailers are still offering free charging to customers, and another 15 percent offer free charging to everyone.

The EHI project manager for electro mobility, Cathrin Klitzsch, explained that even after the study concluded, the trend towards charging for charging had continued. However, the power capacity at newly installed charging points continues to rise, making it possible to charge more in a shorter period of time.