Charging station four-stage rate and five-stage rate
As electric vehicles become more widespread, charging station pricing strategies are continually evolving to adapt to increasingly complex electricity demand and grid management requirements. In the State Grid protocol, four-tier and five-tier pricing models are two common charging pricing schemes, which differ significantly in time division and price adjustment.
▶ Four-tier Pricing
- Time division: Usually divides the 24 hours of a day into four time periods, such as peak, flat peak, valley, and night, with different electricity prices and service rates for each period.
- Pricing strategy: Based on grid load conditions and user charging demand, peak periods have higher prices, while valley or night periods have lower prices to encourage users to charge during low-load times.
- Application scenario: Suitable for simple pricing models, easy for users to understand and operators to manage.
▶ Five-tier Pricing
- Time division: Divides the day into five time periods, further refining charging times, for example, adding a transition period (such as morning or evening) to more accurately reflect grid load changes.
- Pricing strategy: Compared to four-tier pricing, five-tier pricing can adjust prices more flexibly and optimize resource utilization. For instance, medium prices might be set during transition periods to balance peak and valley periods.
- Application scenario: Suitable for complex pricing needs, such as high-traffic areas or places requiring stronger guidance for charging behavior.
▶ Differences and Impacts
Impact on Charging Costs
- Rate refinement: Five-tier pricing is more refined than four-tier, able to more accurately reflect grid load changes and flexibly adjust electricity prices.
- Widening peak-valley price gap: Five-tier pricing may lead to further widening of peak-valley price differences. For example, in Shanghai, when implementing peak pricing, the maximum peak-valley price difference can reach 1.9027 yuan per kilowatt-hour.
- Charging cost fluctuation: Cost differences between time periods may be greater, with peak period charging fees potentially rising significantly. In some areas, peak period charging fee increases have reached up to 87%.
Impact on Charging Behavior
- Guiding off-peak charging: More refined rates help guide car owners to charge during valley periods, participating in grid peak shaving and valley filling.
- Charging time selection: Car owners may pay more attention to choosing suitable charging times to reduce costs. For example, many ride-hailing drivers choose to charge at night to save on fees.
- Charging strategy adjustment: Electric vehicle owners may need to adjust their charging strategies based on the new rate structure to optimize charging costs.
In conclusion, the four-tier and five-tier pricing of charging stations reflect the continuous optimization of electricity pricing strategies. Five-tier pricing, as a further refinement of four-tier pricing, provides a more precise tool for grid management and user behavior guidance. However, regardless of the pricing model, the ultimate goal is to ensure stable grid operation while providing electric vehicle users with more flexible and economical charging options. With technological advancements and market maturity, we can expect more intelligent and personalized charging pricing strategies to emerge in the future, further promoting the healthy development of the electric vehicle industry.