Usually those who have an electric vehicle charge it at night with their home system using innovative solutions such as those provided by DazeTechnology. In this case, charging has an output of 2.3kW and it takes 17 hours to charge a 40 kWh battery. There is no shortage of more powerful domestic chargers, even up to 7kW with a time of 11 hours.

Alternatively, one can refer to public energy stations, which are also a cost-effective choice. In general, those who choose to charge their car at home must have a power of at least 6kWh.

Should the energy contract be changed to recharge the electric car?



Yes, as normally the 3kW meter is not enough, but there is good news for electric car owners. Today it is possible to increase the power of the meter to 6 kW free of charge at home thanks to a trial by Arera (the Energy Authority) that allows faster charging at home and in the company.

The offer includes 6kW power in the 11pm to 7am, Sundays and public holidays at no extra charge, and the initiative started on 1 July 2021 and will end on 31 December 2023.  There are several requirements to join the trial:

  • Have an electricity supply contract for domestic or non-domestic use with a power of between 2 and 4.5 kW;
  • Have a telegisted electronic meter with a low voltage connection not exceeding 1000 V.

To find out if you meet the requirements, just look at your electricity bill from your supplier.

What is the ideal meter power?



As mentioned, many electric car owners choose to charge their car with the normal power outlet, although DazeTechnology recommends that those with garages install a wallbox or small wall charging station. In this case, the energy transfer is safer and more efficient and can be adapted to the power of the home network and the car to be recharged.

Since the charging power depends on the car, and each model has a specific system for energy absorption, you should always check what the charging power of your electric car is. In principle, for small cars a 3kW meter is sufficient, but those who want fast charging should know that the ideal meter power is 6kW.

The offers of the main operators

The cost of charging an electric car depends mainly on the type of subscription taken out and the tariff activated. It is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh), which is the energy absorbed in one hour by a 1 kW appliance. The variables that influence the electric car charging price are:

  • Battery size: the bigger the battery, the higher the power consumption.
  • Type of vehicle: some models consume more energy and are more powerful.

Electric cars currently on the market, when fully charged, have a range of between 200 and 400 kilometres, and consumption is approximately one kWh per 6-8 km, depending on the car model and battery size. At this point, knowing the cost of a kWh, it is possible to make a fairly accurate estimate of the costs to be incurred. Let us now look at the offers of the main operators.

A2A works with a pay-as-you-go tariff and the price varies depending on the power of the columns from 0.56 €/kWh to 0.79 €/kWh. In addition to the pay-per-use system, A2A offers the ‘E-Moving a consumo plus’ solution, which is described as follows: ‘With a contribution of 2 €/month you have 2 daily bookings and recharge at all accessible stations according to your needs using up to 4 utilities, paying only for your actual consumption’.

ACEA has a charge of 0.50 euro for reserving the recharging station, to which must be added 0.58 euro/kWh for the Quick recharge (up to 22 kW) and 0.68 euro/kWh for the Fast recharge (up to 50 kW).

Be Charge, which is part of the Eni Plenitude circuit, offers a supply of electricity ranging from 0.45 euro/kWh for the Quick charge (with power up to 22 kW, in AC) to 0.79 euro/kWh for the Ultrafast charge (with power up to 150 kW, in DC). In between, there are Fast (up to 99 kW at 0.50 euro/kWh) and Fast+ (up to 149 kW at 0.65 euro/kWh) top-ups.

We conclude this overview with the tariffs of Enel X Way, which provides a pay-per-use tariff with prices ranging from 0.58 euro/kWh (AC recharge) to 0.79 euro/kWh (over 150 kW power), passing through 0.68 euro/kWh (up to 100 kW) and 0.75 euro/kWh (up to 150 kW).

As can be seen, recharging at home and recharging at the filling station have different costs, but both are cheaper than filling up a car with a combustion engine, which is why electric cars are becoming increasingly popular. Contact DazeTechnology to discover all the advantages of charging your electric car at home with our Wall Box.