Is free charging really free?

Yes, for the person charging. The owner pays their normal power price and keeps the full ERE on every shared kWh. During the day that ERE is on average worth more than the power costs.

Can I charge for free anywhere?

No. You charge at people who invite you, in the hours they open up. It is sharing among people who know each other, not a public charging network.

A free Joulo account and an invitation from someone with a connected charger. No charge card or subscription needed.

Knowledge base

Free EV charging at your neighbour's

Free EV charging exists: at a neighbour or friend with a home charger. The ERE pays for the power, nobody chips in.

By Johan Trip and Ruben Stolk · updated August 28, 2026

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Charging your car for free sounds like an offer with an asterisk. Yet it exists, without the asterisk: at a neighbour, friend or family member with a home charger. The maths is in the ERE.

Why a public charge point costs €0.60

At a public charge point you easily pay €0.60 per kWh. Only a quarter of that is power. The rest is the line of parties in between: operator, charge card, roaming, maintenance, VAT.

Why it can be free at your neighbour's

Home-charged kWh earn the owner of the connection ERE credits: about €0.16 per kWh, based on our realised sale prices. During the day, power on a dynamic contract often costs less than that. So the ERE covers the power you charge • the owner loses nothing and you pay nothing. No money needs to change hands.

How you charge for free

Someone with a charger connected to Joulo sends you an invitation. You create a free Joulo account and accept. On the driveway you report with one tap that you are charging and plug in • no charge card. As soon as your session arrives, you claim it. That is all.

Who is this for?

For everyone without a driveway who knows someone with one: neighbours, parents, friends. And for owners who want to open up their charger during the day: with Joulo Share sharing costs you nothing, because Joulo charges no service fees on shared kWh.