Where in Europe is electric car a good idea?

Re:Where in Europe is electric car a good idea? by captainmuon on Sunday August 27, 2017 @03:59AM (#15109652)

Yeah, but does anybody do that?

If I had an electric car, I'd charge it overnight. I don't get different pricing at different times. There has been talk of introducing that for decades now (in Germany), but I'm not sure it is coming soon, nor that I'd like it. Probably, it would become just more expensive when I need it most, without being able to change my usage patterns much.

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Re:Where in Europe is electric car a good idea? by fnoobor on Sunday August 27, 2017 @05:30AM (#15109933)

In Germany you can request an off-peak meter in addition to your normal power meter. Alternatively, you can get a power meter that is able to count two tariffs in one device.

There is no "talk of introducing this for decades" since it exists since decades.

Here's all you need to know: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niedertarifstrom

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Re:Where in Europe is electric car a good idea? by the_mitsuhiko on Sunday August 27, 2017 @05:02AM (#15109830)

Off peak pricing was ling already available with two meters ans quite common. Now with smart meters you can have hourly pricing.

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Re:Where in Europe is electric car a good idea? by gchadwick on Sunday August 27, 2017 @04:14AM (#15109693)

In the UK off peak tariffs are available. It's a bit of a pain because it requires two meters but if someone was installing an electric charging point I imagine many would add an economy 7 (the name of the off peak tariff) meter at the same time.

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Re:Where in Europe is electric car a good idea? by icebraining on Sunday August 27, 2017 @05:36AM (#15109952)

it requires two meters

Why?! Two-rate meters have been around for decades, long before they went digital.

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Re:Where in Europe is electric car a good idea? by gchadwick on Sunday August 27, 2017 @07:14AM (#15110237)

Ok, it may require changing to a two rate meter then :)

Never actually used an economy 7 tariff myself so I don't know the details but the point is most houses in the UK aren't equipped to have one. However a home-owner choosing to install a charging point for an electric vehicle will probably switch to a suitable metering setup for economy 7 whilst they're at it.

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Re:Where in Europe is electric car a good idea? by Reason077 on Sunday August 27, 2017 @06:56PM (#15113265)

"Never actually used an economy 7 tariff myself so I don't know the details but the point is most houses in the UK aren't equipped to have one."

All homes in Britain will have smart meters installed by 2020:

https://www.smartenergygb.org/en/smart-future/about-the-roll...

These support Economy 7, as well as whatever other variable tariffs that energy companies dream up in the future.

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