INCREASED demand for electricity brought on by expanding numbers of EVs needing to be charged, as well as the knock-on effect of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, is seeing electricity prices for charging cars in parts of Europe now exceeding the cost of running some petrol cars, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal said in a recent report that the cost advantage of charging an EV compared with filling a car with petrol is evaporating.

The WSJ said that the cost difference of driving an electric version and petrol version of the same car over 160km is negligible and that in some cases charging fees for the equivalent EVs are more costly than that of fuelling the petrol version.

The paper suggested that the unexpected fuel-cost blow-out for EVs could throw cold water on EV sales just as European governments are winding back support subsidies for electric car buyers.

Studies by Ernst & Young in the UK show the total cost of owning an EV will mean that they will take longer to become more affordable than conventional cars.

This, the paper said, could have the effect of making it hard for European car makers to recover their investments in the move across to electric drive trains.

In Germany, Tesla raised supercharger prices several times in the past year, most recently to $A1.10.

The Journal said that a Tesla Model 3 owner would pay €18.46 ($30) at a Tesla supercharger station in Europe for a charge sufficient to drive 160km.

By comparison, drivers would pay €18.31 for petrol to drive the same distance in a Honda Civic four-door, the equivalent combustion-engine model according to the EPA.

Power prices across Europe vary. In France power costs about $A0.33 a kWh, Germany varies between $A0.51 a kWh rising to $A0.78 and in Denmark power costs about $A0.072 per kWh.

The cost issue is especially pronounced when EVs are charged at fast-charging stations. Some German charging stations hit EV owners for $1.32 per kWh.

The WSJ cited data which showed that over a distance of 160km a MINI EV cost the owner $A41 for electricity on a fast charger while a conventional MINI costs $A31 over the same distance.

The WSJ data showed a Nissan Rogue small SUV with a petrol refuelling cost of $A31 compared with a Hyundai Kona Electric at $A36. A standard SUV with four-wheel drive (Subaru Ascent) cost less to drive the 160km than the Tesla Model X.

By John Mellor