Gov’t-set tariffs on EV charging are coming to Infinity stations: Renewable energy player Infinity will start levying government-set fees to use its electric vehicle charging stations starting next Tuesday, 28 June, according to a company press release (pdf).

What it costs to charge your car: Customers will pay EGP 1.89 per kilowatt hour (kWH) for alternative (AC) charging and EGP 3.75/kWH for direct current (DC) charging at Infinity stations. You can catch the full breakdown of the government’s tariffs here.

What’s the difference between AC and DC? It’s all about speed. A quick high-school science refresher: AC, or alternating current, is the stuff that is transmitted through the national grid and comes out of your wall socket. You already use it today to charge your phone / tablet / laptop and to power your home. AC power needs to be converted into DC power to store in an EV’s batteries — hence why DC charging is much faster (and requires lots more power to operate and lots more infrastructure to build) and therefore more expensive.

The tariffs could rise in coming years: The government is revising the tariffs annually — and they will need to increase to be financially lucrative for charging companies, Shams Abdel Ghaffar, managing director of Infinity’s EV Division, told Enterprise previously.

How payment works: Motorists can pay by scanning the InfinityEV app on their phone at the station, and recharge their credit balance on the app using a debit or credit card. Existing customers using Infinity charging cards will have to link them to the app to continue using Infinity’s charging services.

Why now? The Electricity Ministry in February set the tariffs motorists will pay to charge EVs in Egypt, marking a key milestone in the local development of the industry as the government pushes the adoption of zero-emission vehicles on the nation’s roads. Tariffs differ based on whether the charging station is public or at privately-owned commercial establishments.

Infinity is a key player in national charging infrastructure: Infinity is leading the government project to establish a nationwide charging network, and will eventually set up 6k vehicle charging points at 3k stations across the country. The company in April launched seven new EV charging stations in the Nile Delta, marking its debut in the region and expanding Infinity’s charging network to over 90 stations with more than 300 charging points in 10 governorates.

Infinity is also among several firms competing to manage the EV charging firm that will be established by the government. The private sector partner selected to manage and operate the company will be locked in with a medium-term contract for its services, in exchange for a portion of the company’s net income.