The short answer
AFIR stands for the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation. Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 has applied directly across EU Member States since April 13, 2024.
It is intended to make public charging simpler, more transparent, and easier to compare.
| Topic | What AFIR changes |
|---|---|
| Ad-hoc charging | Charging must be possible without a long-term contract. |
| Payment | New charge points must support widely used electronic payment methods. |
| Prices | The price and its components must be known before charging starts. |
| Roaming | Charging-app prices must be transparent and non-discriminatory. |
| Competition | CPOs must not unjustifiably disadvantage different mobility service providers through pricing. |
AFIR therefore makes charging more understandable. It does not set one charging price for Europe or guarantee that charging will become cheaper.
Is AFIR a German law?
No. AFIR is an EU regulation that applies directly in Germany and the other EU Member States.
Germany additionally determines enforcement, responsible authorities, penalties, and how older charge points interact with previous national rules.
The German Bundesnetzagentur therefore explains payment and price-display requirements according to when an individual charge point entered service.
Charging without a long-term contract
Publicly accessible charge points must offer a way to charge spontaneously without entering a permanent contract. AFIR calls this ad-hoc charging.
This does not mean a purchase takes place without accepting any terms. It means you cannot be forced to create a lasting account, subscription, or contractual relationship merely to complete one charging session.
A contract-based charging app can be offered in addition. It does not automatically replace the operator’s required ad-hoc option.
Which payments must new charge points support?
For publicly accessible charge points deployed from April 13, 2024, the basic rules are:
Charge points at or above 50 kW
The operator must accept electronic payment through a payment-card reader or contactless functionality. One terminal can serve multiple charge points at the same location.
From January 1, 2027, this also applies to older public charge points at or above 50 kW along the TEN-T road network and at certain safe and secure parking areas.
Charge points below 50 kW
A secure internet-based payment process can be sufficient, such as a payment website opened through a QR code.
The QR code alone is not the payment method. It must lead to a secure and functioning transaction.
Which prices must the CPO show?
AFIR distinguishes between power levels.
At or above 50 kW
The ad-hoc price must be based on the electricity price per kilowatt-hour. The operator can additionally charge a per-minute occupancy fee.
Both must be clear before charging starts:
- price per kilowatt-hour;
- any occupancy or blocking fee per minute.
Below 50 kW
The operator must make the ad-hoc price and all its components clearly available. The components should appear in this order:
- price per kilowatt-hour;
- price per minute;
- price per session;
- any other applicable component.
Our guide to EV charging blocking fees explains how time-based costs work in practice.
What does AFIR mean for charging apps and roaming?
When you charge through an app or charging card, the charging service is often sold by a Mobility Service Provider, usually called an MSP or EMP.
AFIR requires these services to provide:
- a reasonable, transparent, and non-discriminatory end price;
- the session-specific price before charging starts;
- a clear distinction between every component charged;
- disclosure of additional e-roaming costs and the service’s own fees.
A freely available app or public website can be sufficient for displaying the price. According to the European Commission AFIR Q&A, the service does not have to disclose internal procurement prices, costs, or profit margins.
Is e-roaming now free?
No.
AFIR prohibits an additional charge merely because e-roaming takes place across a national border. An MSP cannot add a special fee solely because you are charging in another EU Member State.
That does not require the complete charging price to be identical in every country. Energy prices, taxes, CPO tariffs, and other components can still differ.
Must every CPO offer roaming?
No. AFIR does not require a CPO to join a roaming platform or contract with every Mobility Service Provider.
When a CPO sets prices for end users and MSPs or for different MSPs, however, it must not discriminate without justification. Differences remain possible when they are proportionate and objectively justified.
The aim is to prevent independent charging services from being excluded solely through arbitrary, worse pricing conditions.
Will AFIR make public charging cheaper?
Not automatically.
AFIR can create price pressure in several ways:
- prices are more visible before charging;
- components are easier to compare;
- ad-hoc payment provides an alternative to apps and charging cards;
- open data can improve price-comparison services;
- non-discrimination can strengthen independent providers;
- more charging infrastructure can support competition over time.
But the regulation contains no fixed price cap and no permitted maximum profit margin. Whether a price is “reasonable” must be assessed case by case.
Other costs continue to matter:
- electricity and grid costs;
- construction and maintenance;
- land rent or concessions;
- payment and roaming services;
- charger utilisation;
- local competition.
Germany’s Bundeskartellamt continues to see competition problems in many local markets. Transparency is therefore an important condition for lower prices, but not a guarantee.
Which open charging data does AFIR introduce?
AFIR also requires operators to make defined static and dynamic data available through open interfaces.
This includes information such as:
- location and opening hours;
- connector and power output;
- operational status;
- current availability;
- ad-hoc price.
The data can improve maps, navigation systems, and price-comparison services. It does not replace a roaming agreement: an open-data record does not allow another service to start or bill a charging session.
What does this mean for ChargEV FleX?
ChargEV FleX shows the specific tariff for the selected connector before charging starts. The energy price, time-based costs, blocking fee, and possible operator fees are shown separately when they apply.
This puts AFIR’s central idea into practice: you should know which costs can apply before you charge.
ChargEV FleX currently charges no start fee of its own. If the operator applies a fee per charging session, it is displayed as a separate price component.
Our current ChargEV FleX coverage analysis for Germany shows how open location data, roaming relationships, and ChargEV FleX tariffs available in the app differ in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Does every older charger immediately need a card reader?
No. The requirements depend on the charger’s power, location, and deployment date. January 1, 2027 is particularly relevant for older high-power chargers on the TEN-T network.
Can a CPO still charge a blocking fee?
Yes. Time-based occupancy fees remain possible, but they must be clear before charging begins.
Must the ad-hoc and app prices be identical?
No. Price differences remain possible. Prices must, however, be transparent and non-discriminatory, and any differentiation must be objectively justifiable.
Are charging prices now the same across the EU?
No. AFIR harmonises access and transparency requirements, not the complete end price.
Will AFIR make charging cheaper in the future?
Better comparison, open data, and stronger competition can put pressure on prices. AFIR does not create an automatic or legally guaranteed price reduction.
In short
AFIR makes public charging across the EU more consistent and transparent:
- spontaneous charging without a long-term contract;
- widely used electronic payment methods at new charge points;
- complete price information before charging;
- clear obligations for charging apps and e-roaming;
- protection against unjustified price discrimination;
- more open data about charge points and ad-hoc prices.
The main improvement is comparability. Whether it produces lower prices depends on transparency, open data, and infrastructure leading to genuine competition.
For a comparison of the different ways to charge spontaneously, read our guide to charging without a charging card, account, or subscription.
