What is a kWh and what does its price depend on?
The market for electric car market has been in recent years. Carmakers are beginning to invest more and more in their zero-emission ranges. Buying an electric car is a step forward in our increasingly environmentally conscious society.
When you've just bought an electric carone of the first questions that comes to mind is how to recharge your EV? Installing a home charging station can be the ideal solution.
As with combustion-powered carsthe fuel consumption of electric vehicles depends on the model and manufacturer. However, we no longer talk in terms of liter per hundred kilometers "but " kilowatt-hour per hundred kilometers ". The kWh expresses a quantity of energy. For example, 1 kWh is the energy consumed by a 1000-watt light bulb. This unit expresses the amount of energy stored in an electric car battery. electric car battery.
As far as price is concerned, electricity suppliers all offer prices for charging stations and this doesn't help you choose. The electricity used to charge your electric car will be the same as that used to run your household appliances. Calculating the price of a charge is fairly straightforward. Simply base your calculation on your electric car's consumption, which averages between 12 and 20 kWh/100 kmand multiply by your energy supplier's kilowatt-hour rate.
Taking a median value of €0.146/kWh for peak hours and €0.125/kWh for off-peak hours, we arrive at the indicative values in the table below.
What are the different suppliers?
Directive (EU) 2018/2001 was amended by Directive (EU) 2023/2413, aiming to increase the share of renewable energies in energy consumption to 42. 5% by 2030, with an indicative target of 45%. This directive also imposes specific targets for the transport, industry and building sectors, with annual increases in the use of renewable energies and accelerated procedures for permits for renewable energy projects. (EUR-Lex). Although France is often criticized for lagging behind other European countries, it has recently stepped up its commitment to renewable energies. The government has been urged to increase its targets for integrating more renewables, despite some resistance linked to the preponderance of nuclear power in the national energy strategy. EU member states, including France, must transpose the new rules of the Renewable Energy Directive into national law by May 2025, with priorities on simplifying permitting procedures and increasing support for the use of biomass and other renewable sources. .
Here are the main players in the national electricity market:
- EDF: Électricité de France is a French company, over 80% owned by the French state. It is the leading producer and supplier of electricity in France and Europe.
- Engie : is a French industrial energy group. The Group offers electricity and natural gas to individuals, local authorities, businesses and industry.
- Total Direct Energie: formerly Direct Energie, is a private French electricity and gas supplier and producer that has been present on the French market since 2003. It presents itself as France's 1ᵉʳ alternative energy supplier.
- Eni : is a private Italian hydrocarbon company founded in 1953 under the presidency of Enrico Mattei. It was privatized in 1998. The Italian state retains a minority shareholding.
- Happy-e : is a subsidiary of the Engie group
What is green electricity?
After identifying the main energy playersit's time to take a look at the term green electricity. Can relieving the planet with green electricity relieve our wallets?
There are many
synonyms when we talk aboutgreen energyHowever, they complement each other quite well, because if this energy is called "green" it's partly because it's "clean" and "renewable". But where does this energy come from?
The green energies comes from energy sources that do not pollute (or pollute very little compared to fossil fuels) and are sustainable because they are inexhaustible. But what is capable of producing such energy? Well, quite simply nature itself. In fact, green energy is generated by natural phenomena such as the sunwind, water currents and biomass.
How does green electricity work?
Green electricity is electricity generated from a variety of renewable energy sources. As we shall see, nature is no slouch when it comes to clean energies, and these include :
- The sun: Whether through its heat or its luminosity, solar energy can generate electricity. Photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs of houses are an example of an environmentally-friendly use of solar energy. The photovoltaic cells inside these panels transform sunlight into electricity and heat homes.
- Wind : The kinetic energy of the wind has been harnessed by mankind for a very long time, as in the case of windmills. Today, wind turbines operate on the same principle and are gradually being developed in France.
- Water : Hydropower enables us to generate electricity. Like a wind turbine, it's a turbine that turns on the movement of water and is connected to a generator to produce electricity. Dams are an example of a common installation for harnessing this clean energy.
- Biomass : Biomass electricity comes from the transformation of materials of plant or animal origin. The heat released by the combustion of these materials is used to generate green electricity.
Thanks to these natural phenomena, electricity suppliers are able to offer us green electricity.
Which suppliers offer special deals for electric vehicles?
We have selected for you the offers of the main energy players. Let's discover them together.
The Engie electric car offer includes :
- Elec'Car: the electricity supply offer that gives you a 50% discount on the price per kWh during off-peak hours compared with peak hours. This 3-year contract guarantees green electricity certified by guarantees of origin.
- Elec'Charge: the offer to install the charging station at your home. Engie guarantees that its charging station can recharge the vehicle's battery 3 times faster than a conventional mains socket. It comes with a 2-year warranty and is professionally installed (within one month of signing the quotation). Price: from €999 incl. VAT.
It is possible to select only one of the two offers. Nevertheless, it's simpler for subscribers to use the same partner for both terminal installation and power supply.
Terms and conditions Engie offer
If you would like to find out more aboutsupport for the installation of charging stations for private individuals in 2024please consult our article on the subject.
