The old advice to charge your electric car at night is no longer valid, at least not during the summer months. Electricity is usually significantly cheaper in the middle of the day. The reason: the sun is shining then and cuts price spikes.
This is especially true this summer, when electricity is generally extra expensive due to the energy crisis created by the Iran war. In the southern half of the country, the two electricity zones 3 and 4, electricity often costs about half as much as at night, according to the electricity exchange Nord Pool.
Rushing in the evening
Solar energy has been expanded vigorously in recent years, especially in Germany and other southern countries. This results in high production during the day with depressed prices throughout Europe in the middle of the day, something that is also spreading to Sweden, mainly the southern half, via the cables between the countries.
When the sun sets, prices quickly rise, and an electricity price of up to 2 kronor per kilowatt hour in the evening and at night is not uncommon these days.
New patterns
At the electricity company Tibber, a clear change in behavior is noticeable, or rather, the system itself is shifting charging from night-time to daytime.
"Among Tibber customers in Sweden who use smart charging, the proportion of charging that occurs during the day (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) has increased from approximately 14 percent in February to around 39 percent in July. At the same time, the proportion of charging that occurs in the evening has decreased from approximately 73 to 44 percent," the company responds in an email to TT.
But various network fees and power charges can still make it more profitable to refuel in the evening/night.
Not in the North
This trend is likely to continue for most of the summer, according to analysts, partly as a consequence of an unusually high number of nuclear power shutdowns. The renewed war fears around the Persian Gulf, with rising gas prices and thus higher electricity prices on the continent as a result, are also expected to contribute to generally higher electricity costs.
Add to that the companies' surcharges, taxes, VAT and electricity network fees and the total electricity cost quickly lands around 4 SEK/kWh when the sun disappears from the sky.
In Norrland, electricity areas 1 and 2, this connection does not apply at all. There, the electricity price is still slightly lower at night, but is already so low that it hardly matters.
On the other hand, charging during the day may not always be practical if the electric car is to be used as well.
