Refueling the e-car at your own wall box is not only convenient, but also inexpensive. Powerful wall boxes are already available for less than 400 euros.
The increasing sales of electrically powered vehicles also underpin this trend. A total of almost 700,000 electric vehicles are registered in Germany (April 2022). In 2019 it was less than 100,000. One reason for the increasing popularity of electric vehicles is that many are looking for alternatives to vehicles with internal combustion engines in order to become less dependent on rising prices for fossil fuels.
The fact that electricity is also becoming more expensive does not change that. After all, many countries have decided to end the combustion engine, so that there is currently no mass-market alternative to the electric drive. Hydrogen cars are also an issue from time to time. But apart from BMW and some Asian manufacturers such as Toyota with the Mirai, most car companies rely on battery-powered electric drives.
Funding for e-vehicles until the end of 2022
The federal government subsidizes the purchase of purely battery-powered cars (BEV) with up to 6,000 euros, plus a manufacturer's share of 3,000 euros. The regulation applies to vehicles with a net price of up to 40,000 euros. For more expensive electric cars, the total premium drops from 9,000 to 7,500 euros. Buyers of plug-in hybrid cars (PHEV) with a price of up to 40,000 euros receive a total premium of 6750 euros – if they cost more, it is 5625 euros.
However, the government plans to change the subsidy rates. For plug-in hybrids, the subsidy is to be completely canceled from 2023. And for BEVs, up to a gross purchase price of 64,000 euros, it is only 6000 euros in total – i.e. a third less. Interested parties can view a list of eligible e-vehicles at the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA).
Subsidies for electric vehicles (as of July 2022, valid until the end of 2022)
Vehicle type
Net list price
Federal grant
Grant manufacturer
In total
Electric car
Up to 40,000 euros
6000 euros
3000 euros
9000 euros
Electric car
From 40,000 euros – 65,000 euros
5000 Euro
2500 euros
7500 euros
Plug-in Hybrid
Up to 40,000 euros
4500 euros
2250 euros
6750 euros
Plug-in Hybrid
From 40,000 euros – 65,000 euros
3750 euros
1875 euros
5625 euros
Wallbox: More convenience and lower prices
However, many potential buyers of an e-vehicle are deterred by the fact that there is usually no charging infrastructure in their own or rented four walls. And switching to public charging stations is not an alternative for most, since the electricity available there is more expensive than charging at home.
In many cities, the prices for charging e-vehicles at public charging stations have recently increased significantly. In Munich, for example, since April 2022 you have been paying 49 cents instead of 39 cents per kW for charging with alternating current (AC). The public utilities now charge 69 cents per kWh instead of 39 cents for fast charging via direct current (DC). That is about 80 percent more, while the current average electricity price for private households is 40 cents per kWh. Charging with a wall box at home is therefore cheaper than with a public charging station.
In addition to the price advantage, your own wall box also offers more convenience. You can charge your e-car conveniently in your own garage and don't have to look for a free public charging station after work in the evening. And who wants to park their new electric car there all night? Depending on the municipality, the maximum parking time at public charging stations is also limited to a few hours or a specific time window, otherwise there is a risk of a fine.
Legal and technical requirements for installing a wall box
While installing a wall box in your own home is not a problem, up until almost two years ago things looked very different for tenants or owners in a multi-party residential building. Here, the community of owners decided whether a structural measure such as the installation of a wall box should be allowed or forbidden.
In the case of wall boxes, the legislature changed this decision-making principle on December 1st, 2020. Since then there has been the so-called right to a wall box. Tenants or owners still have to submit an application to the community of owners, but they can no longer generally prohibit the installation of a wall box.
Court confirms claim to Wallbox
However, the commissioning of a wall box for tenants is not free of conflicts. In a dispute between tenants and landlords about the installation of a wallbox, the district court in Munich ruled in favor of the homeowner. However, the district court of Munich overturned this decision. The justification states: “The tenant may install an electric charging station in the rented garage. In particular, he can choose the installation specialist company himself and also determine the specific design of the connection himself.
The fact that the technical equipment for additional charging stations of other tenants may only be installed by the public utility company in the future does not change this claim.” ADAC has compiled a comprehensive dossier of helpful information for tenants and landlords when installing a wall box.
Of course, the technical requirements must be met when installing a wall box. After all, a powerful wall box requires a high-voltage connection. And if not just one, but all parking spaces in an underground car park are to be equipped with a wall box, the electrical house connection and the cabling must be designed for the higher energy requirements.
Wallbox in combination with a PV system
However, you should make sure that the charging station works with your Home Energy Management System (HEMS). In this way, the most efficient use of solar power possible – key word surplus charging – is realized, so that the purchase of expensive external electricity is minimized. Wall boxes that are tailored to the inverter or power storage used are often ideal for this.
Cost and performance of wall boxes
Charging an electric vehicle at a conventional household socket (Schuko) is recommended at best for plug-in hybrids with a low battery capacity. Fully electric vehicles, most of which have batteries with a capacity well in excess of 40 kWh, should be charged using a wall box. This shortens the charging process to just a few hours.
So far, the state has subsidized the cost of installing a wall box. But this rule has expired. However, there are still a number of municipalities that encourage the installation of a wall box. The city of Munich passed new funding guidelines around the end of June and is funding the purchase of cargo bikes, electric vehicles, the installation of charging infrastructure and the use of consulting services in the period from April 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025. In order to bridge the period until the application is submitted, there has been the possibility of an early start of the measure since July 1st, 2022.
However, a wall box does not cost the earth either. Inexpensive models are already available for less than 400 euros. In addition, there are costs for the installation, which range from a few euros to 2000 euros – depending on how complex it is to lay a power line to the installation site of the wall box.
Choosing a wall box
Most current electric vehicles can only charge between 5.5 kW and 11 kW. In the case of plug-in hybrids, it is mostly only 3.6 kW. An appropriately matched wall box is ideal. Shooting at sparrows with cannons, for example charging a plug-in hybrid vehicle with a 22 kW wall box, is therefore not worthwhile. Wall boxes with an output of 11 kW are therefore usually sufficient for most e-car owners.
Anyone who owns a 22 kW vehicle and wants to install a corresponding 22 kW variant for it must expect higher costs for the wall box and installation. In addition, it is not only necessary to register the charging station with the network operator like the 11 kW models, but also to have it approved. This results in additional costs of an average of 500 euros, which can also be higher in individual cases due to additional security measures.
Restrict wallbox access
If you install your wall box in an underground car park to which several people have access, you are usually interested in security. Wallboxes do this using a PIN, an app or an RFID card. Most of the tested wallboxes master at least one of these authorization procedures. Only the Heidelberg Wallbox Energy Control, Keba Ke-Contact P30 x-series 98101 and PC Electric Wallbox GLB 353419P models do not support this identification option.
Wall box with electricity meter
If you want to share the use of a wall box or if you are a landlord and want to offer your tenants a charging station, you should look for a model with an integrated electricity meter. This allows the electricity consumption of each individual user to be billed exactly, so that later disputes about the amount consumed can be avoided.
Test winner
Cheap is good, not always true. But that is exactly the case in the wallbox test by ADAC, ÖAMTC and Stiftung Warentest. The Charger HOME fix, manufactured by the Austrian company Go-e, wins together with the twice as expensive variant Commander 2 from Wallbox Chargers. Both models offer not only a safe and reliable charging function, but also an excellent app. With the , users can not only view consumption data, but also configure access to the wall box. With the Homefix 11 kW, authorization takes place via the app or an RFID card, while the Commander 2 can also be secured with a PIN code.
Speaking of the app: Of the 12 wall boxes tested in 2022, the models from ABB, Easee and Innogy also offer app control in addition to the two test winners, although this does not always include the option of remote control. The ABB Terra AC W11-G5-R-0 only uses Bluetooth to communicate with the app, so it can only be controlled in the immediate vicinity.
The test winner Go-e Charger HOME fix and the third-placed Easee Home 10103 continue to charge automatically after a power failure, while the other wallboxes in the test can only do this when authorization is deactivated.
Since ADAC, ÖAMTC and Stiftung Warentest regularly carry out wallbox tests, it is also worth taking a look at the older test results. There you will find models that have been rated better and are also cheaper. However, the older models usually do not offer app control.
Prices for wall boxes and electricity tariffs
The wallbox models tested by ADAC, ÖAMTC and Stiftung Warentest in 2022 cost up to 1330 euros. The test winner, the Go-e Charger HOME fix, costs 675 euros, making it the cheapest model. At Amazon it is available for just under 600 euros and at other retailers even for only 550 euros. The second-placed Commander 2 from Wallbox Chargers costs 1300 euros. It is the only model that offers an intuitive touch screen. The third-placed Easee Home 10103 costs around 760 euros.
In addition to looking at price comparison portals, you should also study offers from electricity providers before purchasing a wall box. They often also offer wall boxes at particularly favorable conditions as part of campaigns for car electricity. E.ON, Süwag and Maingau are examples of this.
Wall boxes from car manufacturers are usually not found in price search engines either. But it is also worth taking a look at the offers here. Through its subsidiary Elli, VW sells wall boxes that not only offer modern charging management, but also a certified MID electricity meter. The prices for the ID charger are between 479 and 999 euros.
Conclusion
With a wall box, owners of e-cars can charge their vehicle safely and cheaply in the comfort of their own home. Overall, the tests by ADAC, ÖAMTC and Stiftung Warentest show that wall boxes have now achieved a good level of performance: ten out of twelve test candidates achieved the grade "good".
Users who want to use an app to access the wall box remotely and who are interested in how the charging process continues after a power failure can choose the test winner Go-e Charger HOME fix or the third-placed Easee Home 10103. Both wall boxes also allow integration into the Smart Home and offer RFID access control.
