Is charging an electric car actually cheaper than keeping gas in a regular? The answer to that question may not be as obvious as it appears.
It all depends on how you use your electric car and where you charge it. Just like in a regular car when you pay to fill it up at the gas pump, public charging stations also cost money to use.
“We find that typically the most expensive way to charge is at fast charging stations or Level 3 stations,” said Zac Elliott with central Indiana power provider AES Indiana. “In our area, those can average around 40 to 50 cents per kilowatt hour.”
Charging a near-empty battery can add up to about $30 for a full charge in one stop, which is not that much cheaper than paying for a full tank of gas. However, that’s not a one-size-fits-all for electric vehicles.
Elliott explains that you only see those prices at DC Fast Charging stations. He said people really only use those stations if they are traveling longer distances in an electric car and need to get recharged quickly.
People who use their electric car for day-to-day needs, like going to and from work, typically charge their car at home overnight which adds about 12 cents per kilowatt hour to a person’s home electric bill, according to Elliott.
“80 plus percent of people in our service area charge overnight at home,” he said. “That is much more cost-effective.”
He said slower charging public stations are also more cost-effective. They typically charge 20 to 30 cents per kilowatt hour and can even sometimes be free.
3 comments
These electric vehicles are catching on fire 🔥 If you park in an attached garage, the fire can spreads to the living space. The liberals want to force Americans to drive them exclusively. The problem is most people can’t afford an electric vehicle. If you live in an apartment how are you going to charge it ?
American doesn’t have enough power plants to produce electricity for the demand of more electric vehicles.
Not to mention the cost of replacing the batteries or the nastiness of little kids mining the minerals needed for the batteries. Then you must consider the time it takes to charge away from home. I can fill my tank for 100% utility in about 15-minutes anywhere in the country. But how long does it take to charge to 100% when away from home? I can also realize full use of my gas powered truck when towing or hauling heavy loads which EV trucks simply cannot do. There is a gas station almost on every corner. Articles about cross country trips using an EV are fraught with angst about finding a charging station and take days longer than with a regular vehicle. Then we have to think about how they work in our cold climate for at least 6-months. If you want one get one. I won’t complain. But you better not chastise or virtue signal me because I still like the old fashioned tried and true mode of very dependable transportation. Even if 100% of cars were electric it would not move the CO2 scale one bit because the coal and oil fired plants would be needed to charge them up. Green energy is not ready for prime time. Besides, there is no proof that CO2 is raising the temperature of the planet without skewing the numbers for the internationalists that want to destroy America. Ford is hemorrhaging money because of the EV push.
95% of my driving is short trips, in town. Overnight charging would be great for me, and I would love to have an EV… if it made sense. Currently, the upfront costs of EVs and the potential high cost of a battery failure make an EV investment a non-starter for me.
Much like incandescent bulb ban, I think the government is pushing technology before it is ready instead of letting the market decide. I am 100% opposed to banning combustion engines.
We should have NEVER started allowing the EPA to regulate CO2 as a hazardous gas – it’s NOT.