How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

The electric car makes you money, at least in terms of gasoline expenditures, which is one of its main promises. With recent increases in gas costs, it's now easier than ever to spend $100 or more on a tank of petrol, depending on your automobile type. But probably one of the most widespread misconceptions about electric vehicles is that they are not cost-free. Yes, you must still pay to charge your vehicle. But precisely how much? It does, however, vary greatly. How much it costs to charge a car can vary depending on a number of factors, including its location, the vehicle you're driving, and more. Generally speaking, a full automobile charge will cost you anything from $5 to $30. If you have a car with a lesser battery and choose to charge at a less expensive facility, you'll be closer to the $5 mark. Additionally, if you use a fast charger and have a car with a big battery, the cost will be higher. [caption id="attachment_64299" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image credit: canva[/caption] The cost of charging can be calculated by multiplying the amount of kilowatt-hours (kWh) in your car's battery by the price per kWh you pay to charge. Before you begin charging at a public charging station, the price should be displayed. Let's dive in and do some math to have a better idea of how much you'll charge.

Cost of home electric vehicle charging

The least expensive way to charge an electric vehicle is at home. In addition to making a profit, public charging firms charge a premium to cover expenses like infrastructure. You don't have such fees, save from the charger that most likely comes with your car (or a faster one if you're fancy). [caption id="attachment_64298" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image credit: canva[/caption] The varying electricity costs make it challenging to calculate the cost of charging at home. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2021, the average retail price per kWh in the country was 10.59 cents. Depending on what state you're in, that average fluctuates wildly. In Louisiana, the cost per kWh is 7.51 cents. Hawaii, which charges 27.55 cents per kWh, is at the other extreme of the range. The complexity of greater prices at various times of the day or year won't be added. The size of your car's battery must also be taken into account. The average size of an electric car battery is 65.6 kWh, according to the Electric Vehicle Database. Accordingly, the average cost of charging an electric car completely at home in the United States is $6.94. The most expensive option would be to get a Lucid Air Dream Edition with a massive 118kWh battery and charge it in Hawaii, which would cost you $32.51. These numbers generally account for charging your automobile from 0% to 100%; hence, you typically only spend a few bucks at a time charging, say, from 60% to 80%. Cost of using a charging station to refuel an electric vehicle The process of charging your car at a public charging station is entirely different. Fast-charging technology has cost public charging firms a lot of money to develop, in addition to the price of setting up stations and paying staff. The outcome? Chargers cost significantly more, unfortunately. [caption id="attachment_64297" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image credit: canva[/caption] Charge rates for charging stations might vary. Since 'Level 1' chargers can take up to 24 hours to fully charge an automobile, they are most helpful in the evening. Less than 30 miles of charge are typically delivered per hour using Level 2 chargers. DC fast chargers, also known as level 3 chargers, may frequently fully charge an automobile in less than one hour. It might be quite difficult to focus on price due to the large range of costs. One of the more well-known charging networks in the US is Electrify America (EA), which charges $0.03 per minute for Level 2 charging. However, the majority of Electrify America's chargers are fast chargers that always charge on a per-kWh basis. Electrify America charged $0.31 for Pass+ members in California at the time of this writing compared to $0.43 for guests and Electrify America Pass holders. Therefore, the average cost for a full charge for a guest is $28.21, or $20.33 for Pass+ members. You must account for the $4 monthly Pass+ price.

Free electric vehicle charging

The best and most reliable way to charge your electric vehicle is at home, with road trips and fast top-ups requiring use of public chargers. There are, however, various ways to obtain free charging. To begin with, your company might provide charging stations at your place of employment, and they might be free to use. This is a fantastic way to top off during the workday. [caption id="attachment_64295" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image credit: canva[/caption] Additionally, there are many public parking spaces that offer free Level 2 charging stations. For instance, there might be many Volta charging stations at your neighborhood mall that allow you to charge for nothing while you shop. These can also be found occasionally at grocery stores. The maker of your automobile might also be providing free charging for a while. For instance, Tesla provided Model S and Model X buyers who purchased their vehicles between 2012 and 2016 with free charging. Sadly, it no longer provides that. However, other automakers, like Audi, BMW, Ford, and others, frequently provide at least a year's worth of cost-free charging at Electrify America or EVGo stations. The last remaining "free" method of charging an electric vehicle is by not using grid power. You might be able to avoid buying electricity from your local provider with solar panels and home batteries. Of course, you still have to pay for the solar panels and batteries, so it's not really free. However, if you already have them set up or had already intended to use them, charging your car with them won't cost you any more money, provided your system can manage the added stress.

How much less expensive is it to charge an electric automobile than to fill it with gas?

It's virtually hard to provide a precise number in response to this inquiry. Apart from the numerous factors involved in discussing electric car charging, there may be even more in relation to filling up a tank of gas, such as the fact that the price of gas fluctuates daily. To put it another way, read the following sentences with a massive grain of salt. Since we're talking averages, it's quite unlikely that your numbers will match ours. [caption id="attachment_64296" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image credit: canva[/caption] On November 7, the day this article was written, the average price of gas for normal unleaded gasoline was $3.804 per gallon, according to AAA. We couldn't locate any reliable information on the real average gas tank size, so let's take 15 as an acceptable average since most cars have a tank between 10 and 20 gallons. That would result in a $57.06 expense to fully fuel your vehicle. In other words, if you charged your car at home, it would typically cost $50.12 less to do so for an electric vehicle. It would still cost $28.85 less to fill up a typical tank of gas than it would to charge at an Electrify America charging station as a guest. That is around half the cost.

The lesson

In the vast majority of circumstances, charging an electric automobile will cost less than filling it up with gas. Depending on your automobile mode, where you charge, and other factors, the amount less can vary greatly. And that doesn't even begin to address the fact that buying an electric automobile typically costs more than buying a gas-powered one. We have a whole post comparing the whole cost of ownership for EVs with gas-powered vehicles, including maintenance and insurance.