Those who fill up with fuel could be envious E-mobilists look. Because many petrol stations are now hooked up Energy cost comparison-Poster.
A fuel cost comparison is intended to sensitize petrol station customers to alternative drives. The yellow note lists how much money a gasoline, diesel, e-car and gas vehicle costs 100 kilometers. The data is updated every three months. At the start, the Stromer clearly did the best.
Voluntary notice?
The details of the energy cost comparison are now mandatory at all petrol stations with more than six multiple fuel pumps. With around 1.500 locations, these large companies only make up a small part of the total of 14.500 German petrol stations. All other companies are free to hang up the yellow notes. Or to present the information on a screen, because that is also allowed. It is important that the table is clearly visible, either in a prominent position near the cash register or on at least half of the petrol pumps.
Regardless of whether the display is made of paper or liquid crystals, the information is identical. The individual fuels are listed in seven lines, starting with Super E5, Super E10 and Diesel. This is followed by electricity, natural gas and LPG as well as hydrogen. In two columns next to it are the energy costs, each for an average small car or compact class as well as for medium and luxury class vehicles.
Super E5 the most expensive
In the September issue, the e-car leads the energy cost comparison ranking in both vehicle classes. The yellow note shows 4,74 euros or 4,84 euros. The most expensive is the Super E5 with 9,26 euros and 11,42 euros. The basis of the calculation is on the one hand the average standard consumption of the three best-selling cars per vehicle category. The energy costs are formed from the average liter or kWh prices of the previous quarter. However, the poster does not show how high these were.
The last point in particular is causing criticism, as the prices, especially for liquid fuels, are changing rapidly in some cases. Diesel, for example, has risen by nine cents per liter in the past three months, while the price of gasoline has risen less sharply. Since the prices for energy change faster than the cost comparison is updated, its information is almost never accurate.
Another problem: For e-cars, the cost of refueling at the home socket is used as a basis. And they are usually 10 to 50 cents below street sales prices per kilowatt hour. If you don't have the opportunity to refuel on your private property, you won't find yourself in the price comparison table. The costs for maintenance, insurance, depreciation and taxes are also not taken into account. However, e-cars would also often do better there than typical combustion engines.
Comparison of energy costs difficult so far
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy does not see either of these as a problem. The main aim of the cost comparison is to ensure comparability and to raise awareness of alternative drives and energy sources for passenger cars. Because the comparison has been difficult up to now due to the different units - liters, kilograms, kilowatt hours and cubic meters.
This was preceded by various consumer surveys and a pilot project at 15 petrol stations. According to the ministry, these have shown that there is a great lack of information among consumers about alternative drives and fuels. For example, more than 80 percent of those surveyed rated their knowledge of alternative fuels and 50 percent their knowledge of battery-electric drives as insufficient, 55 percent stated that additional information on fuel costs would influence the next vehicle choice.
