Not every charging hour is the same. If you share your wallbox through cocharge, you know the drill: during the day your parking spot is in demand, at night it sits empty. That’s exactly where the new day-night tariff comes in. Hosts can now set different prices for day and night directly in the cocharge app and actively shape how their charging station is used.
Key Takeaways
- Two tariffs, one charging point: Hosts can define separate prices for day (8 AM to 8 PM) and night (8 PM to 8 AM)
- Flexible idle fee control: e.g. disable the idle fee at night so overnight chargers feel welcome
- Make night charging attractive: lower night rates attract neighbors, employees, or customers
- Set up in a few taps: configurable directly in the cocharge app
What Is the Day-Night Tariff?
The day-night tariff lets you configure two separate pricing setups for a single charging point. The tariff is assigned automatically based on the start time of the charging session:
| Time Window | Hours | Typical Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Day | 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM | Standard kWh price + idle fee |
| Night | 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM | Reduced kWh price, no idle fee |
If a session starts at 7:55 PM, the day tariff applies. If it starts at 8:05 PM, the night tariff kicks in for the entire session.
Why Different Prices Make Sense
The reality at a charging point looks completely different depending on the time of day:
During the day, the parking spot at a wallbox is valuable. Drivers charge quickly, others are waiting. An idle fee ensures that the spot is freed up after charging so the next driver can plug in.
At night, the situation flips. Nobody is waiting. The car is parked overnight anyway. An idle fee only scares people off, even though nobody else needs the charger. Disabling the idle fee at night makes your charging point attractive for anyone who wants to charge overnight.
Typical Use Cases
Neighbors Charging Overnight
Many street parkers are looking for a place to charge overnight. An attractive night rate with no idle fee makes your wallbox the ideal solution: the car is plugged in during the evening, charges overnight, and is picked up in the morning. For you as a host, that means revenue from hours when your charger would otherwise sit idle.
Monetize Business Parking Lots at Night
During the day, customers and visitors charge. An idle fee makes sense to keep spots rotating. At night, those parking spots sit empty. With a discounted night rate and no idle fee, residents from the area can charge overnight. Your business parking lot earns money after hours instead of sitting unused.
Hospitality and Hotels
Hotel guests charge overnight. An idle fee would only frustrate them. A discounted night rate turns the charging station into a service bonus for guests, while standard daytime rates apply for short-term chargers.
Selling Solar Power at a Premium During the Day
If you have a PV system, you generate the most electricity during the day. A higher daytime price can reflect these peak production hours. At night, when grid power is used, a lower rate makes sense.
How to Set Up the Day-Night Tariff
Configuration happens directly in the cocharge app:
- Open My Charging Stations and select your station
- Go to Adjust Tariff and choose “Flexible Tariff”
- Set prices for day tariff and night tariff
- Done. The new tariffs take effect immediately.
The idle fee can be enabled or disabled independently for each time window. For example, you could charge 5 ct/min during the day and waive it entirely at night.
Example Calculation: More Sessions Through Night Pricing
Without a night tariff, a typical wallbox sits unused at night. With an attractive night rate, the numbers change:
| Without Night Tariff | With Night Tariff | |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime sessions | 2 per day | 2 per day |
| Nighttime sessions | 0 | 1 per night |
| Avg. kWh per session | 25 kWh | 25 kWh (day) / 40 kWh (night) |
| Monthly revenue (at €0.55/kWh day, €0.45/kWh night) | ~€825 | ~€1,365 |
That’s over €500 more per month. Purely from sessions that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
Conclusion: Your Charging Point, Your Rules
The day-night tariff gives hosts control over how their charging point is used at different times of day. Instead of a one-size-fits-all price, you tailor conditions to reality and maximize both utilization and revenue.
The feature is available now in the cocharge app. Simply select your charging station, activate the flexible tariff, and you’re set.
Not a cocharge host yet? Find out what your charging station could earn or book a free consultation.