German Antitrust Office Rejects Centralized EV Charging Price Comparison

The Bundeskartellamt argues that publishing EV charging prices could facilitate price coordination among providers, unlike its fuel price transparency initiative.

The Bundeskartellamt, Germany's antitrust authority, will not create a centralized system for comparing electric vehicle charging station prices.
Andreas Mundt, the agency's president, expressed concerns that such a system might enable charging providers to align their prices, reducing competition.
In contrast, the agency has been monitoring and publishing fuel prices for over a decade, providing data to apps that help consumers find cheaper options.
Mundt explained that fuel companies already closely monitored each other's prices before the transparency system, making price coordination less of a concern in that market.
The antitrust office emphasizes that while fuel price transparency benefits consumers, replicating this approach for EV charging could unintentionally harm market competition.