The Office Launches Sector Inquiry in the Area of Publicly Accessible Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles

The Office for the Protection of Competition (hereinafter referred to as "the Office") has launched a sector inquiry into the area of publicly accessible charging stations. Specifically, it is examining the conditions of wholesale electricity supply and the conditions for the operation of publicly accessible charging stations, the conditions under which consumers in particular make decisions in this area, and will also examine the services concerned and the conditions under which consumers can use them.

In the course of the sector inquiry, the Office intends to obtain data and information from all relevant entities active in the sector and to assess the functioning of competition in the markets in the area concerned.

"The Publicly available data showed that there has been a high concentration of publicly accessible charging station operators for a long period of time. At the same time, the concentrated operators are vertically integrated, which, in the context of other indications at our disposal, raises questions about the proper functioning of competition in this dynamically developing area." Martin Machay, Chief Economist of the Office, explains why the Office decided to focus on the charging station sector.

Moreover, the price comparison shows that the situation may not be clear for consumers and may discourage them from using publicly available charging stations of third-party operators. In addition, the recharging price varies considerably between networks and is significantly higher than the retail price of electricity. Furthermore, sector inquiries conducted in neighbouring countries have revealed significant failures of competition and, based on publicly available information, it appears that these distortions may also be relevant in the Czech Republic. The Office's concerns were further backed by its analysis of publicly available sources.

As part of the sector inquiry, the Office intends to analyse the period from 2020 to the end of the first half of 2025.

• In the first phase of the investigation, the Office will carry out consultations to assess the functioning of the individual relevant markets, both in the context of the vertical relationships between electricity suppliers and publicly available charging service providers and in the context of the horizontal relationships between individual charging station operators, including the conditions for roaming between different publicly available charging station networks.
• In the second phase, the Office will request relevant data and information from the entities concerned, which it will then analyse.
• In the third phase, the Office will examine aspects of the functioning of competition in the relevant markets concerned which emerge as crucial or problematic in the course of the sector inquiry.

The main research question posed by the Office is whether there are distortions or failures of competition in the market or markets of the operation of publicly accessible charging stations in the Czech Republic and what are their causes.

Press Unit of the Office for the Protection of Competition
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