Audi offers reassuring €0.31/kWh rate at Ionity fast-chargers

Last week; Ionity caused a commotion by announcing the end of its attractive "welcome" flat rate of €8 per charge, regardless of the amount of kWh effectively drawn from the grid. Soon, Ionity customers will have to pay €0.79 per kWh they take from a fast-charger, raising questions about the affordability of driving electric. An EV easily consumes 20kWh/100km on motorways, which translates into nearly €16 for every 100km driven. By way of comparison, a petrol car that averages 8l/100km costs about €12 in fuel. 

Audi issued a reassuring press release yesterday, announcing that its e-tron customers can count on a fixed rate of €0.31/kWh at the Ionity DC fast chargers, or a discount of nearly 61% over the standard rate. According to Audi, €0.31 corresponds to what customers pay at home for their electricity. There is a catch, though: to benefit from this preferential DC fast charging rate, you have to sign a 12-month contract with Audi e-tron Charging Service, which comes with a monthly subscription fee of €17.95 in Germany. Prices in other countries may vary.