What is the new energy cost comparison?
The background to this is that which was passed in October 2014 EU directive on the development of the infrastructure for alternative fuels. It stipulates that the costs of various energy sources will have to be signposted in future, based on a unit of measurement (euros / 100 km). In a pilot project, Germany was one of nine countries to help develop the criteria for comparing fuel costs. The pilot project included a practical test of various advertising media 15 Berlin gas stations as well as surveys on site and online. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, more than 80 percent of those surveyed rated their knowledge of alternative fuels and half their knowledge of battery-electric drives as insufficient. 55 percent of respondents said that additional information to their fuel costs influence the next vehicle choice would.
The Mineralölverband criticized the measure as distorting competition, as only house electricity prices were used to calculate electricity prices. “Public and, above all, fast charging is usually more expensive, and that significantly reduces the price difference compared to gasoline-powered vehicles,” said the managing director of the Mineral Oil Industry Association (MWV), Christian Küchen, of WELT am SONNTAG.
What does the energy cost comparison look like?
The posters are available in various sizes on the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ website ready for download. The comparison must be found either at half of all fuel pumps or in the checkout area, alternatively also as a digital display.
The energy cost comparison is intended to enable consumers to compare prices quickly and easily.
How is the energy cost comparison calculated?
For each vehicle class shown, the three best-selling German models are used and weighted according to sales figures. The WLTP consumption is requested from the manufacturers. The consumption (calculated over 100 kilometers) is then multiplied by the average price of the fuel in the last quarter. The calculations will be updated every three months – So it’s not about showing a price that is as up-to-date as possible. Rather, the energy cost comparison should enable the prices of the different energy sources to be better compared with one another. Since there are still no hydrogen vehicles in the small and compact car class, this field has not yet been completed.
The fuels – from expensive to cheap according to the energy cost comparison
Super / Super E10 is by far the most expensive
There are currently only two hydrogen models
Diesel makes sense especially for frequent drivers
Natural gas (CNG) – higher energy density than gasoline and diesel
Natural gas is a fossil fuel and is measured in kilograms. The energy content is higher than that of diesel and petrol. A distinction is also made between H gas and L gas. With L-gas (“low calorific gas”) the methane content and thus also the energy content is lower than with H-gas (“high calorific gas”). H-gas for 100 kilometers costs on average for small and medium-sized vehicles 5.49 Euros, for middle and upper class cars 6.39 Euro.
