Yellow posters at the gas station – what does this message really bring to car drivers?

In october, an EU directive is implemented that primarily affects car owners. yellow posters will be displayed at larger gas stations from then on. What it is all about.

Since october larger gas stations hanging from october 2021 new, yellow posters with price comparisons for car drivers. They are intended to show in brief how many euros it costs to drive an average of 100 kilometers – using the various fuels, from electricity to hydrogen to super gasoline – and for two vehicle sizes. There are a total of thirteen numbers on the yellow-orange placard. The goal: to show drivers in the future what they could have saved. Only hydrogen for smaller vehicles lacks a value due to lack of data.

Yellow posters at larger filling stations: energy cost comparison for car drivers

Why is the poster there, what can it do – and what not?? It implements a european directive, as the german press agency (dpa) describes. The purpose is "to support consumers’ future purchasing decisions when choosing a passenger car", as the text of the law states. So a price comparison in a nutshell.

In principle, the ADAC also thinks this makes sense in order to create transparency and "also to influence the purchasing decision to some extent," as dpa reports. The German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) also welcomes the label: "The comparison makes it clear that for many drivers, electromobility is not only a climate-friendly alternative, but also a financially attractive one," it says.

What is written on the yellow posters at the gas station??

What the poster shows? The current poster – which is to be updated quarterly and can be downloaded from the ministry of economics – shows, for example, that a mid- or luxury-class car running on premium gasoline costs 11.42 euros in fuel or energy per 100 kilometers. With super E10 it would be 11,00 euro, with diesel 7,48, with a stromer 4,84. Natural gas H would cost 6.39 euros, autogas 4.96 euros and hydrogen 7.60 euros.

How these values are arrived at? For each type of drive in each of the two vehicle categories, the three best-selling vehicles and their official fuel consumption according to the current WLTP driving cycle are used. How to get one average consumption per 100 kilometers. Together with the price for the respective energy source, this results in a cost per 100 kilometers. For the price, the ministry uses the average value for the second quarter. However, these figures are not given on the poster.

Data on fuel consumption – what critics say about it

How accurate are the figures?

Even if the values are calculated and stated precisely to the cent, they can only be rough comparative values for several reasons, as dpa further writes. On the one hand, the consumer who drives the poster at the refueling station reads, probably another car with another consumption. His driving style also makes a big difference.

In addition, according to information from the federal ministry of economics, the calculation currently uses the average prices of the second quarter are used. Since then, diesel, for example, has become around 9 cents more expensive per liter, according to ADAC figures.

And finally, as the name suggests, it is only one comparison of energy costs. Other car-related costs, such as purchase, repairs, insurance and taxes, are naturally left out of the equation – even though they usually exceed energy costs by a considerable margin.

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Special case: electric cars

The calculation is particularly susceptible to distortions in the case of electric cars, which, according to the comparison, are the cheapest to drive, as dpa further reports. "there is no information that the average household electricity price is used as a basis for e-cars," criticizes the mineral oil industry association MWV, according to the report. "public and especially fast charging is usually more expensive, and that reduces the price difference to the gasoline car considerably."

According to the energy industry association BDEW, a typical household electricity tariff is a little over 30 cents per kilowatt hour. At public charging stations, however, it is more likely to be 39 to 45 cents and at fast charging stations as much as 49 to 79 cents. Among other things, this involves costs for infrastructure, operation, maintenance, use of space and payment processing. But these prices also have to be taken into account so that the information on the poster "can be reconciled with personal experience," BDEW demands, according to the dpa report.

According to the report, the ministry of economics justifies the use of the household electricity tariff, among other things, on the grounds that more than 80 percent of charging takes place at home. In the medium term, however, the costs of charging on the road should also be included in the calculation.

At which gas stations are the yellow posters to be found??

Where the poster has to hang?

Gas stations with seven multiple dispensers and more have to hang it up or present it on a screen. However, according to estimates by the ZTG gas station association, this only affects around 1,500 gas stations in Germany.500 of the 14.500 gas stations in germany, according to the report. Now motorists can see the new posters for themselves on the spot.

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