MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - The energy costs for operating e-cars will most likely remain below those for combustion vehicles on average in the coming years, according to the consulting firm PwC. The main reason for this is that electricity prices are expected to fall again in the medium term, according to industry observers. It is assumed that oil prices, and therefore fuel prices, will also fall from 2024. In terms of monthly operating costs, however, charging electricity is already at a lower level than gasoline or diesel expenses for comparable car use - and it is likely to become cheaper in the future.

"In the long term, the average energy costs of an electric car are and will probably remain lower than those of a combustion engine," says the analysis from Munich, which is available to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. This year, charging is likely to become more expensive for the time being because grid fees are rising. "But from 2024, the charging electricity price should fall again, in particular due to falling procurement costs." In principle, that would also apply to the price of gasoline. But the extent of the expected easing would probably be less here than for crude oil because of the simultaneously increasing CO2 taxes on finished fuels.

PwC's preliminary conclusion: "The energy cost comparison for electric and combustion engine vehicles shows a clear advantage for electromobility. We expect this advantage to continue for years to come." However, he said, this finding is linked to a number of preconditions. For example, car manufacturers would have to offer a wider range of models, and the expansion of the charging infrastructure would have to progress quickly. "This includes making suitable public areas available and speeding up planning and approval procedures," emphasized e-mobility expert Heiko Seitz.

Other experts had recently expressed more skepticism. Car market professor Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, for example, expects demand to cool noticeably as subsidies for hybrid cars expire and are cut for pure electric vehicles. The auditors at Deloitte recently said on the subject of energy costs: "If electricity prices remain at this high level, we will only see 7.6 million electric cars in Germany in 2030." In order to achieve the policy's target of 15 million by then, "further measures by the government and companies will be necessary from 2024 onward."/jap/DP/stw