In search of a road map for electric transport, numerous energy providers, trading groups, infrastructure and transport service-providers came together at the Becker Büttner Held-Group workshop at E-world. The focus of interest, right from the start, was a central question for the industry: which companies already have pricing models for charging solutions which are practicable and meet calibration regulations? Unsurprisingly, there was a certain reticence around this subject. Therefore, what was discussed was whether charging tariffs offering a flat rate or lump sum per charging operation could be one way out, at least for an interim period. This problem is also reflected in a current BBHC study on electric transport which shows that a broad range of charging tariffs are offered in Germany. Even if the reasons for this lie particularly in structural differences, price differences of over 500% demonstrate that the market for charging solutions is still in its infancy, and the search for a business model is a major preoccupation in the sector.
Strategies for economic operation of a charging infrastructure were presented, including a contribution margin calculation for business models. Further ideas from the speakers demonstrated that even in other value creation stages of electric transport there is still incentive potential. This applies, for instance, to business models which use charging procedures when marketing flexibility through load management. There was a consensus that it is up to legislators to adapt the regulatory framework as quickly as possible.
The workshop also looked at the development of charging infrastructures in companies who use this for their fleet of vehicles, as well as making charging available for employee cars and customers. It is necessary to take interactions with their own energy supply concepts into account right at the planning stage, as well as considering how to handle taxes and levies, to guarantee a legally watertight operation.
Matthias Puffe, Partner Counsel, BBH Consulting AG
Dr. Florian Umlauf, Consultant, BBH Consulting AG
Simone Mühe, Lawyer, BBH Lawyers, Auditors, Tax Advisors PartGmbB