With the ‘Tariff Intel’ feature in the Tap Electric app, EV drivers can now easily see which MSP has the cheapest price on specific chargers in the largest public networks of the Netherlands.
“We’re a driver-first company, and our goal is radical price transparency for all EV drivers. That means helping our drivers find cheap charging, even if they decide not to pay with Tap every time they charge” says Nico Spoelstra, Co-Founder and CEO of Tap Electric.
Spoelstra believes that transparency is key to creating affordable charging for all. “With more transparency, we think we can drive EV charging prices down for all drivers, most importantly for those who rely on public chargers.”
Tariff Intel currently compares 9 charge card providers, including Shell, E-Flux and Eneco. Drivers can compare charger prices with or without a subscription plan. Tap Electric is not paid by any providers to show this information.
Spoelstra shared plans to roll out price comparison for all public chargers in the Netherlands in the coming months. “This is just the start for us. Full coverage of all public charging networks in Europe will be the next step forward to help EV drivers bring their costs of charging down.”
“Charging infrastructure and energy price fluctuations can make charger pricing complex. We have found a way to simplify this for our drivers.”
The launch comes on the back of recent research by the Amsterdam based start-up that there is an average wholesale price difference of 14.3 euro cents (ex VAT) between equivalent chargers in any given neighborhood. Retail prices fluctuate even more.
Reasons why EV drivers experience price differences between neighborhoods:
- Varying operator costs
- Energy price fluctuations
- Increasing number of chargers with complex tariffs
- MSP fixed pricing schemes
Several years ago, the Dutch consumer protection agency ACM made it mandatory that every charge network operator (CPO) and MSP clearly communicate tariffs to drivers. As a result, some MSPs fixed their tariffs so that drivers would no longer be exposed to different CPO tariffs. While a fixed price scheme offers predictability, in some neighborhoods drivers could be overpaying a great deal for the price of energy.
Tariff Intel is just one of the features in the Tap app that helps price conscious EV drivers. Previously introduced features are:
- Pricing map: Quickly reference charger prices on the map for any given neighborhood.
- Cheaper and nearby alerts: See cheaper chargers nearby before you start a charge session.
- Cheap subscriptions: Tap offers the cheapest charge card in the Netherlands, which is fully integrated with the Tap app.
