For anyone considering making the switch from gasoline to an electric vehicle (EV), the question of cost to power the car is often at the forefront of their mind. For many, they believe that switching to an EV will drastically increase their electricity bill. Despite a variety of factors affecting the overall charging cost, the average cost of charging an EV at a commercially available charging station tends to range between $10 and $30. Some of these factors include:
- Charging Location – the cost of charging your EV, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), varies across the nation, and tends to be much cheaper when charging at home.
- Mileage and Vehicle Efficiency – just like with gasoline powered vehicles, different models of EV with different fuel efficiencies can vastly affect the cost to travel the same difference. Furthermore, an EV’s efficiency can vary based off of the temperature and vehicle load.
- The type of charger – more powerful charges capable of fully charging an EV’s battery in a shorter amount of time, suchas the Tesla supercharger, tend to charge an increased rate per kWh for the convenience. Additionally, the cost of installing a home charging station can vary depending on how quickly you want your vehicle to charge. Lower end, or level one chargers are most affordable, but can take up to 30 hours to fully charge a battery, being primarily used when only travelling from point A to B and back again. In contrast, level 2 systems requiring up to 240V in a dedicated circuit, can easily fully charge a vehicle overnight.
Despite initial reception to electric vehicles being less than good, the cost of charging and maintaining an EV going down, as well as the convenience of being able to charge at your own home could mean that this is the time to switch for you.