Malta’s Charging Rates For Electric Cars Will Be Among The Cheapest In Europe
Energy Minister Miriam Dalli proposed plans to introduce new, cheaper prices for electricity rates of electric car users, branding the tariffs as some of the cheapest in Europe.
The rates stem from the first draft of a national policy on the charging of electric vehicles. This is open to public consultation till September.
She attributed the cheap rates to the fact that Malta is ahead of other EU Member States when it comes to drafting policies to regulate the electric vehicle market. Since the market is just opening up, Malta can take advantage of this through market regulation.
“The market for these vehicles is just opening up we are taking the opportunity of regulating it and implementing a policy which we will continue to build on and adapt, rather than doing this the other way round,” said Dalli.
The proposed rates will apply to electric charging points which would be found in both residential and non-residential areas.
The charging points can be used in order to charge an electric vehicle.
“Through these new tariffs, it will become more financially viable to own an electrical car rather than a conventional fuel-powered car,” says Enemalta CEO Engineer Jason Vella.
To charge your electric vehicle at home, you would need to install an additional, specialised meter.
The meter comes in two versions; a single-phase meter or a three-phase meter, which can provide for faster charging.
A single-phase meter costs €50 to install plus an additional €4 monthly, as part of a service charge.
A three-phase meter costs €80 to install plus a €6 monthly service charge.
Charging your vehicle at home
Residential electric charging points will be charged a total of 12.98 cents per unit of electricity for up to a maximum total of 84 hours of charging per week.
Home users will be charged this rate, as long as they charge their electric vehicle between the hours of:
- 12pm to 4pm
- 12am to 6am
- Or all day on Sunday
Charging your electric vehicle during peak hours would mean that users will pay the standard residential electricity tariff, despite charging the vehicle at home.
Charging your vehicle in public
Those who operate public charging points will also be charged off-peak tariffs during off-peak hours. The same off-peak hours apply to residential users.
The need for off-peak and on-peak hours would be in aid of an even distribution of electricity from Enemalta.
Peak hours will see tariffs being charged at 14.85 cents per unit of electricity.
Operators will have to pay a €75 license fee for each charging point every three years. They will also have licenses lasting up to 10 years and are free to set their own prices to charge consumers.
Dalli said that operators will be obliged to remain transparent in their pricing.
Users of all public charging points will be able to use different service providers with no need for any additional equipment or adapters and will also allow for impromptu charging.
Will you be buying an electric vehicle?