Energy consumption while driving has been one of the most important social issues in Germany for years. The issue is complex, it affects everyone and it's annoying. And everyone finds their own way of dealing with it.
Take my father, for example.
My father bought a second-hand Golf V 2.0 TDI around 2005.
My father is old school: he fiddles with every liter of fuel, but he buys the car new and pays cash. He only bought this Golf second-hand with around 100,000 km and traded it in at 270,000 km. During this time, he drove with a consumption of between 4.5 and 4.7 liters per 100 km. Diesel, of course. That meant disengaging the clutch in good time, shifting out of gear and letting it roll when the traffic lights on the horizon turned red.
At some point, he read that diesel engines also run on rapeseed oil or linseed oil.
And so he went to Aldi, where a liter of rapeseed oil was available for 69 cents. You could fill up directly at a linseed oil refinery near Güstrow, Mecklenburg. The consumption was the same as with diesel. What exactly the effects were on the engine remains forever unknown. Somehow it always smelled like a chip shop behind the car.
But it drove 100 km for around €3.50 in 2005. Adjusted for inflation, that's €4.81 today.
Last week, I paid €11.70 for a 100 km trip in a brand new electric car on a country road. The higher energy efficiency of the electric car has not been reflected in my costs. On the contrary, the 2023 EV was 2.4 times more expensive to run than my father's old diesel Golf.
Everyone says EVs are cheap to drive. But I've done something wrong.
I wanted to know.
Nothing teaches you more than personal experience. But I didn't go into the test naively. I had read up, watched a few videos and asked experts.
The weekend before, I was out and about with four friends from the automotive industry.
They are all technicians and developers, and they all have experience with EVs of between 20,000 and 100,000 km, both in commuter traffic and on long-distance journeys, including from Germany to Spain.
This is concentrated expertise, which advised me on my first long-distance trip in an EV.
Charging is not a problem in Germany today. Although Germany has the most charging points, it is in the middle of the pack in terms of charging point density due to its size. Download apps and plan your route, and then it will go smoothly.
In return, I promised to report on my experiences.
And here is the report
The route went from Stuttgart city center to Berlin Alexanderplatz. Instead of the BYD Atto 3 I had ordered, I was given a Cupra Born with 56 kWh.
At some point, the battery was at 13%.
I turn off to a charging station at a filling station. There is a second Cupra Born there.
The other Cupra is being driven by a young couple. They pass the waiting time while charging with food and cell phones. I ask them why they drive electric. "My employer stipulates that. Either EV or hybrid. "I opted for the Born," says Thomas. He comes from Peine near Hanover. "The waiting times are a bit long," says his girlfriend. "It's a bit different with a Tesla, which has a range of 500 km and can be charged with 150 kWh."
This stop will be the best charging experience of the whole trip.
It is a 150 kWh charger.
I pull out my charging card and it is rejected. It says at the charging station: "You can also pay at the counter." So I make my way to the filling station. I had plugged in the charger beforehand - I'm a beginner. After walking back and forth between the car and the counter three times - of course, the charging points are at the far end of the filling station - the car charges. While I wait, I drink a coffee and write this text.
After 30 minutes, I have charged enough to get to just outside Berlin. There I have to find the next charging station.
I have four apps (Shell Recharge, Pump, ARBP, Nextcharge) on my phone and the car also displays charging stations. In most cases, it also shows whether the charging station is free. Some apps also show the price for charging.
There are currently as many different charging stations as there are animals in a zoo.
Unfortunately, they are often well hidden.
Unlike petrol stations, charging stations are not marked with large-scale advertising. They are often located at the edge of the property, behind buildings of commercial enterprises or supermarkets.
Finding them is a real problem on my route.
On average, I spend about 30 minutes searching on my own. It reminds me of a scavenger hunt, with little clues scattered everywhere: small signs, marked parking areas, different entrances to the properties and the four different apps. But I find them, even if I sometimes consult satellite images in Google Maps.
The cognitive load in an unfamiliar area is immense.
I pull off at the Michendorf service area to charge up, but can't find the charging points.
For the savvy commuter who uses the same charging stations again and again, this is of course not a problem. For long-distance EV tourists, this hunt robs them of any driving pleasure.
When I leave the highway and stand in front of a charging station, I can't pay.
This is different from a petrol station, where I can pay with different cards and cash. They probably even take checks. At this charging station, I am asked for an RFID from the local energy company.
At the next charger with 6 × 150 kWh on the Nuthe expressway near Potsdam, four columns don't work. Murphy is obviously traveling with me. So I have to move the car twice and start the charging process three times to finally charge at 106 kW. Unfortunately, that's all the Cupra Born can do.
At this moment, I realize that the Tesla package consists of the car and the chargers, and that's the only reason it generates real fans among customers. It's not the car. Fast charging, standardized charging stations and easy payment are just as important. At some point, electricity was even free for Tesla drivers.
This insight doesn't help me now.
It takes me twice as long to drive the same distance as with a combustion engine. I spend 5.5 hours looking for the charging station where I can start charging, plus the waiting time for charging.
Because of the lost time, I'm already past the deadline for returning the rental car.
Adjusting the contract online causes the rental price to shoot up to €289 for 26 hours.
I could cry.
I recently paid €225 for a BMW Z4 from Friday to Monday (72 hours) and drove 1,500 km. From Berlin to the Baltic Sea to Munich, partly with the roof down. I quickly switch the page off again.
Now I'm stressed.
At the last charging station before returning the car, I calculate my electricity costs.
I use 18 kWh per 100 km at a highway speed of 120 kilometers per hour. With a kW price at the fast charger of around 65 cents, that's €11.70. At peak times, I pay 74 cents. I could probably reduce that with a subscription.
Privately, I drive a Golf 2.0 TDI, built in 2014, and I consume around 5.5 liters at 140 kilometers per hour. That works out at a diesel price of €1.86. There's no rapeseed oil and the car doesn't tolerate it either. That's €10.23 for 100 km. Give-or-take the same.
Even in this comparison, the EV doesn't come off any better on long journeys.
Let's be honest: an EV is a different car to a combustion engine. It is different to use.
For me, there is no alternative to the combustion engine for long distances. The combustion engine is not only cheaper, it's also easier to drive. I can add to my range anywhere in just a few minutes with little effort. I don't need to laboriously plan my charging stops, because every filling station takes my money and in 5 minutes I have enough fuel for 800 km.
New mid-range EVs can do that too. But they also have a corresponding price point.
You can go long distances with an EV. This is possible today if you know the route well, including the charging points. However, it makes little sense if you want the easiest and most convenient form of driving.
An EV also creates a lot of headaches in the city.
Because in a city, you can rarely charge your EV at your own socket. In Berlin, there are twelve pure EVs for every public charging point, and the trend is worsening. And there won't be enough charging points for several years to come. There is already a race every evening to see who can get to the charging point in their own street first and use it.
Satisfaction with EVs is falling accordingly. Only around 18% of EV users would recommend their vehicle to friends or colleagues.
In 67% of all employed people commute by car.
Most of them live in housing estates and cities in urban centers, often in their own home. With a solar system on the roof, the self-generated electricity can be used for transportation.
An EV is ideal here.
And that's exactly how I live with my family.
We drive most of the distances to the office, school and sporting events. Most of it is highway or expressway. That adds up to around 50 km a day.
I will be making the switch the next time I change my car. I will probably have to compromise on bidirectional charging. When I hit the price point, we'll be commuting electrically.
EVs will have to be marketed and priced differently than combustion engines. We will work on this in the AutomotiveLearners Pricing Academy. More on this later.
The question remains as to how we will manage long distances.
I probably won't be taking the EV on long journeys for the next five to seven years. The technology and infrastructure are not yet ready. If you drive 10 km, you don't want to spend an extra two to five hours charging.
I'm looking forward to the breakthroughs in technology, infrastructure, offers and prices for this new technology.
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