Expensive charging breaks: Cabinet decides on costly fines for operators

On Wednesday, the German government initiated a bill aimed at significantly increasing transparency in the charging of electric cars at public stations. With the reform of price indication law, it is reacting to European directives that previously left a gap in German law. Anyone who provides incorrect or incomplete price information at charging stations in the future risks fines of up to 100,000 euros.

The background is the EU Regulation Afir (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation), which has been in effect since April 2024. However, German authorities previously lacked a mechanism to penalize violations of these transparency rules. The Economic Criminal Code of 1954 provided no basis for enforcing EU law. This gap is now to be closed by the amendment.

Rules for kilowatt-hours and minute prices

With the planned new regulations, which the Ministry of Economic Affairs has drafted, the price confusion at charging points would be contained. Operators of fast-charging stations with 50 kilowatts or more, which were installed after April 2024, will in the future have to clearly display the price per kilowatt-hour as well as any time-based fees before the charging process begins.

For slower charging points, a strict order is prescribed: first the price per kWh, then the minute price, and finally other flat rates.

Mobility service providers will also be held more accountable. They must clearly provide all specific price information, including roaming fees, in advance via electronic means. Anyone who is negligent here or provides information too late will be acting in violation of regulations in the future.

Deterrence through high fines

The German government justifies the fine framework of up to 100,000 euros with deterrence and consumer protection. It is guided by regulations from the Telecommunications Act (TKG) for comparable price violations. This is intended to ensure that e-car drivers do not experience an unpleasant surprise only when looking at the bill.

At the same time, the draft serves to simplify legal matters by consolidating all relevant sanctions in price law. This ensures a uniform approach to national and European regulations. Thus, older fast-charging stations that do not fall under the EU regulation will continue to be regulated by national law and sanctioned identically.

Observers welcome the initiative in principle but still see a need for clarification. The SME association Uniti praises the creation of equal competitive conditions but warns of ambiguities in terms such as “complete information” and urges practical application aids. The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband, vzbv) supports the high fines. However, it criticizes that the draft does not provide clear criteria for when prices are considered “reasonable” and “non-discriminatory.”

For the economy, the new law is not intended to cause any immediate new compliance costs, as only existing obligations will now be enforced more consistently. The draft still has to pass the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. It is planned that the new regulations will come into force quickly thereafter. Operators of charging infrastructure should therefore align their systems with the stricter controls in a timely manner.

(vbr)