Today marks a new deep dive into the practical economics of electric vehicles (EVs). Forget simply saving on gas; we’re talking about actively turning your EV into a source of passive income. In the current energy landscape, especially with dynamic electricity pricing, the standard narrative has completely flipped.

I’m excited to share a very detailed, real-world case study from my own household, revealing how we consistently profit from every kilometre driven. It’s a combination of smart charging, dynamic tariffs, old-school solar, and a rather unique corporate benefit.

The Foundation: Dynamic Tariffs and the Employer Card

Our setup starts with two key components:

• A Variable Electricity Tariff: Our energy price changes every single hour, directly reflecting the wholesale market. Crucially, we receive the next day’s hourly prices every evening. This allows us to plan exactly when to charge.
• We aim to only charge when the hourly tariff (before network costs and surcharges like the capacity tariff) is below €0.10/kWh. Even after adding network costs, this usually results in a net cost of around €0.15/kWh.

And it gets better: we’ve even seen hours with negative electricity prices!

The Solar Synergy and the Belgian Capacity Tariff

Our profit model has two more layers:

Layer 1: Aging Solar Panels.

In Belgium, a significant part of your network costs is based on your peak electricity consumption during a month. To mitigate the heavy financial impact of the high power draw from EV charging, we have capped our home charger's output at 4.7 kWh. This minor slowdown in charging speed saves us significantly on monthly grid costs by keeping our overall consumption peaks low.

Layer 2: Managing the "Capaciteitstarief" (Capacity Tariff).

In Belgium, a significant part of your network costs is based on your peak electricity consumption during a month. To mitigate the heavy financial impact of the high power draw from EV charging, we have capped our home charger's output at 4.7 kWh. This minor slowdown in charging speed saves us significantly on monthly grid costs by keeping our overall consumption peaks low.

The Ultimate Advantage: The Corporate Discount

Finally, here is the real kicker. My wife works for an energy company, granting us a fantastic employee benefit: a 30% discount on our energy tariff.

Crucially: This discount only applies to the pure cost of electricity and not to network fees, taxes, or levies.

The Financial Payoff: A Concrete Annual Calculation (REVISED)

To fully appreciate the impact of these stacked benefits, let's run the numbers based on our actual consumption. Our household consumes roughly 10,000 kWh per year, with a substantial 5,000 kWh (50-55%) dedicated solely to charging our electric vehicles.

We use the following conservative figures for this estimation:

• Total Annual EV Consumption: 5,000 kWh
• Employer Reimbursement Rate: €0.30 per kWh
• Average Acquisition Price (Target): €0.15 per kWh

For the target price, we assume a 50/50 split between the raw energy price and the non-discountable fees:

• €0.075 per kWh for the Energy Tariff (eligible for the 30% discount).
• €0.075 per kWh for Network Costs, Taxes & Levies (no discount).

This results in an estimated annual profit of €862.50 purely from smart charging our two electric vehicles, even with the stricter tax-exemption rule applied.

This strong financial return is magnified by:

1. Charging with free solar power (the energy cost is zero, yielding a profit of €0.30 - €0.075 = €0.225 per kWh).
2. Charging during negative price hours (where we literally get paid by the grid and reimbursed by our employer).
3. The consistent savings on the Belgian Capacity Tariff by capping our charging speed at 4.7 kW, preventing costly consumption peaks.

This unique combination of a dynamic contract, an employer reimbursement scheme, and a corporate discount has turned EV ownership into a highly reliable and profitable venture.

Posted Using INLEO