Government to regulate electro mobility

Something special happens to electricity when it flows through the electric charger, since legally it becomes a kind of fuel product. According to Világgazdaság, Ministry for National Economy (MNE) aims to create a complex legal regulation concerning electro mobility.

Charging to become transparent and comparable

As Daily News Hungary already reported, the government would like Hungary to become the leader of Central-Europe in electro mobility. Therefore,

MNE is drafting a complex legal regulation concerning the issue by the end of this year.

This will be followed by a national consultation and executive decrees – reported Világgazdaság.

In fact, there are already rules aiming to regulate the issue, for example the electricity act or Jedlik Ányos plan. However, they are not complex enough to start service.

In addition, Hungary implements directives of the European Union by creating and act-regulating the issue. This will define important notions and, at the same time, jurisdiction and obligations of state and local governments. EU expects Hungary to create an act by which paying for both time- and quantity-based charging becomes transparent and comparable.

Legal tricks everywhere

However, EU does not mention how the government should turn the electricity of e-cars into a service that people have to pay for. At present, for example, Hungarian sellers use a trick at those places where consumers already have to pay for charging. They incorporate the price of electricity into the parking price. In addition, another trick is if one charges their car via home network and pays the universal service price for it. Of course, on the dawn of e-mobility such solutions are inevitable.

However, government has to shut these back doors in the future, because if electricity goes through an e-charger legally it becomes a kind of fuel product. Thus, it needs a separate measurer and accountancy. Suppliers, of course, can remain the same as before, but settling has to be different. Otherwise, it would be questionable to buy a product for a price calculated originally for households and for this reason protected from market oscillations. In addition, charging company cars at home doesn’t seem to be a viable solution as well.

Therefore, additional harmonizing and amending has to be done in the next few years.

The government’s aim is to shut the remaining back doors and create a complex and viable regulation for e-mobility.

However, a lot depends on how exactly and, of course, by which means state would like to get this issue done. Nevertheless, according to Világgazdaság, MNE has already decided that selling electricity as fuel will become a separate service in Hungary.

Source: vg.hu