Follow us today...
Charging an electric vehicle in public can range in price from free to very expensive. When we recently charged a new 2022 Chevrolet Bolt at an EVgo DC fast charger (DCFC) in Bedford, NH, we discover the pricey end of the spectrum can be more than it would cost to fuel a "gas-guzzling" V8-powered muscle car.
Related Stories:
Big Mistakes To Avoid When Charging an EV In Public
Many Public DC Fast Chargers For Electric Vehicles Are Slower Than You’d Think
Quick Stops At Level 2 Public Electric Vehicle Chargers Are Worthless
$10.15 To Add 34 Miles of EV Range
We charged up a Chevy Bolt using the EVgo DC fast charger, and the bill was $10.15. That amount of money added 34 miles of range to the Bolt. So, the cost per mile of energy was 30 cents per mile. Let’s compare that to a 2021 Dodge performance car we tested the prior week.
The Dodge had 797 hp, and it returned a combined fuel mileage of 24 MPG in our use on the same route we tested the Bolt. We paid $2.90 per gallon for the gasoline it uses. Doing some “goes in’tahs,” the cost per mile for energy in the muscle car turns out to be 12 cents. Thus, the cost per mile to energize the Bolt was roughly triple what the V8 gas-powered car cost us.
Charging Etiquette
When charging in public one is supposed to quit charging when one’s EV reaches 80% state of charge. The reasons for this are two-fold. First, the rate at which charge can be added to an EV battery is more rapid below 80% and much more time-consuming as the battery reaches full. Second, EV chargers are in very short supply. We need to ration them.
On my route from the metro Boston area to the lakes region of New Hampshire, there are exactly zero public DC fast chargers. In order to charge at a DCFC, I took a slightly longer by time route to swing by one of only two DCFC charging spots in that area. Google “Henniker NH DC Fast Chargers” if you want to see what I mean about no chargers. I needed to top-off in order to complete the 200+-mile route I was making. So, I broke charger etiquette, and I charged to full.
I also charged at the DCFC because I wanted to test my EVgo membership RFID card and account and see how long the DCFC took to add back miles. Both were successful tests.
Charging For Free
Coincidental to my test, GM was running a free-to-charge promotion day during the week I had the Bolt. I think free anything is great, but I always wonder, what’s the hidden agenda? If charging up an EV is very affordable anyway, why does there need to be a promotion to make it “free?” If Dodge offered free gas to muscle car owners, I suppose folks would jump at the chance for a free fillup. But why make EV charging free?
The answer is to get EV owners to the chargers and have them try out the experience. You see, when we poll owners of EVs, most report that they only charge at home, and almost none report using DC fast chargers.
When I plugged into the EVgo DC fast charger, I hadn’t thought about the cost. After all, we constantly hear how affordable EVs are to power up. I have done the math at my own home, and I know that the cost is typically about five to seven cents per mile of range I add back on my home charger using my relatively pricey Boston-area electricity. $10.15 for just 34 miles was a “shock.” Get it, shock. Bet you never heard that in an EV story before.
Related Story: New Hampshire Innkeepers Demonstrate EV-Driving Guest Best Practices
Feel free to tell us in the comments below what you typically pay to charge in public at a DC fast charger and how that cost compares to your cost at home.
John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. John's interest in EVs goes back to 1990 when he designed the thermal control system for an EV battery as part of an academic team. After earning his mechanical engineering degree, John completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with automotive component manufacturers, in the semiconductor industry, and in biotech. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on TikTok @ToknCars, on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin
Follow us today...
Comments
How things should be and how
Permalink
In reply to I love all the dumb ass by CJ (not verified)
How things should be and how they are represent two ends of the spectrum.
If you read the article the Chevy Bolt owner had no choice but to use public charging to get from point A to point B. So Teslas have more range and free supercharging. What's your point? How dies this help the Bolt owners? Until free supercharging is available to other car owners (doubtful this will ever happen), then paid public charging is going to be necessary any time you travel far from home. How much this costs is regulated in many areas where they are forced to charge by time and not energy received.
The infrastructure for public charging is broken for all cars not named Tesla. How it should be is not how it is. There should be reasonable rates for everyone. Not gouging the public when they have no other options.
FYI Tesla superchargers are
Permalink
In reply to How things should be and how by Jscott1000 (not verified)
FYI Tesla superchargers are not free, for most Teslas anyway. The earliest cars had(maybe still have) free charging and there used to be a program where Teslas got SOME free charging at the time of purchase, but neither of those things is happening anymore. The cost of charging is automatically billed directly to the credit card associated with your Tesla account whenever you use a Supercharger, so it only looks like we aren't paying anything to use the supercharger
I actually disagree with you
Permalink
In reply to I love all the dumb ass by CJ (not verified)
I actually disagree with you that energy should be billed by the kWh. I agree it makes it more equal to all situations but if you do it right you can get more energy for way cheaper when billed by the minute. When the battery is really empty it will charge faster so it will cost less to add more energy because it takes less time compared to when the battery is more full and you are trying to add more power. 0-50% charge is faster than 50-100% so it would cost less when by the minute. If a charger bills by the minute then it is not worth going above 80% unless you really have to, because the charge rate curves of every EV I know slow down significantly above that. My family has had a Tesla model Y for over a year
Sure* you're* their* warranty
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
Sure* you're* their* warranty* have* tear* whole* apart*.
I can't take you seriously.
... Really! Those are the
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
... Really! Those are the comments you make while calling anyone else ignorant or telling them that they don't know what they're talking about? A long range Model 3 or Y will crush anything from Chevy currently in range, power, charging or reliability. If you had done any type of actual research, even from the more biased anti-Tesla publications recently, you would know that.
The last time I charged my Model 3 Long range from less than 5% to 100%, it cost me less than $22 at a level 3 supercharger and it took just over 30 minutes. Supercharger costs, just like gas are very much dependent on local electricity costs from local providers so costs can vary from state to state. Charging at non-Tesla chargers unfortunately seems to depend on whether you have a relationship with the company who's charging network you are using.. That is currently an unfortunate thing in the US as the competing networks roll out, but I suspect that will change over time as people buy more electric vehicles, the competition heats up and these providers realize that they have to streamline thei charging networks and reign in their prices to compete. That example of the Chevy Bolt in this article is not at all common for people who regularly change in public and is even more rare for those who have home chargers who often only have to pay 12 to 13 cents per kw 9n average around the country. Only people out of network at public chargers or people in super high cost electricity zones as 8n parts of California ever pay prices as quoted in the article above.
Agree that Kia and other EVs
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
Agree that Kia and other EVs match tesla's range for about a third the price. That said, please invest in a 5th grade remedial spelling course if you're going to post on a public forum.
Whether you prefer gas or
Permalink
In reply to Agree that Kia and other EVs by Russ (not verified)
Whether you prefer gas or electric, Nobody escapes the spelling police!! If you can figure out what the correct spelling should have been, then his communication was effective. Perhaps you should concern yourself with the content of the messages and not how many typos you can spot. It's these kinds of comments that are irrelevant and shouldn't be posted, nobody cares if your an excellent speller, it's not a job interview!
I like to see if you could
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
I like to see if you could build a car company that was as successful as Tesla, so I can (complaint) at all your (stuff). Edited by TN for language. Thanks for your comment.
What a foolish comment. Lets
Permalink
In reply to I like to see if you could by Mgbone1 (not verified)
What a foolish comment. Lets try Ford Motor company. Even in its early years, they sold over 15 million Model T's. and until just recently Tesla hasn't even broken a profit as a company. They almost went under several times. I know several people who have many complaints about their Teslas and will not get rid of their gasoline powered vehicles. Pathetically Poor fit and finish on several areas of each individual vehicle, range 20%+ Less than advertised, months to get issues fixed on the car (these are factory new cars) lack of local repair centers. Their mobil repair is not good. Completely unacceptable issues to complete with other car companies, much less claim they are any kind of leader.
Playing the long game shows
Permalink
In reply to What a foolish comment. Lets by Emmanuel (not verified)
Playing the long game shows it's benefits. Our global predicament with Russia invasion of Ukraine illustrates why ICE vehicles leave us vulnerable to Petrol States manipulation. I'm paying $0.025/ mile when charging from home at night, automatically and my utility likes it because they have excess generation capacity then. A total win/win. What would happen if gas stations charged 50% less at 2am?
EV owners have to change their thinking about fueling their vehicle also, you only charge at a public charger enough to get you to your destination not fill up as you would to amortize the overhead of visiting a gas station.
Sure not Shure
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
Sure not Shure
Their not There
Warranty not Warrantee
Have not half
Tear not Tare
Whole not Hole
Apart not Appart
All those in the same comment, before using words like "idiots" to describe people that you're commenting on, I'd make sure you don't sound like one yourself (or should I have said shure?)
I charge my model P3D+ Tesla
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
I charge my model P3D+ Tesla and crush Dodge demons but when I feel like it I go 300 miles on $15 in energy. Read it and weep.
My buddy just parted out his
Permalink
In reply to I charge my model P3D+ Tesla by systemBuilder (not verified)
My buddy just parted out his Tesla because they wanted $24,000 for a new battery that's out of warranty. He took that $24,000 and both an awesome low mileage ice car then starting stripping the Tesla. Meanwhile my Chevy went 580,000 miles without any issues and it still runs. If I know how to do math you calculate the battery replacement costs you are financially better to own an ice getting 15 mpg. That's using calculations without including the higher prices of EV, higher registration, and the electric power costs of the EV. Add that in and you'll save money driving an 18 wheeler as a personal vehicle.
Doubt it, my Durango hellcat
Permalink
In reply to I charge my model P3D+ Tesla by systemBuilder (not verified)
Doubt it, my Durango hellcat is faster than my 21 performance 3 and a demon is faster. You likely have never seen a demon during on a public road, anyone that has one isn’t piling miles on.
might try an English and
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
might try an English and writing class.
might try an English and
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
might try an English and writing class.
Sure*, their*, warranty*,
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
Sure*, their*, warranty*, have*, tear*, whole*, apart*.
Bro...
My friend that leased a Tesla
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
My friend that leased a Tesla “S” said he needed to go to the dealership twice, once to pick up the car and the next time to return it at the end of the lease. No services were needed!
From what you hear and read?
Permalink
In reply to You shure dont have a clue by Graham Ferguson (not verified)
From what you hear and read? So you don’t know, you don’t own a Tesla do you? I don’t think your opinion is valid then. I have had a model 3 performance for over a year and not once have had an issue charging with Teslas super chargers. All EVs lose a ton of range when you drive them like you stole them. So does my Durango hellcat, mileage drops to 8 mpg the way I drive it while wife gets 14+mpg.
If you get a Tesla, you
Permalink
In reply to That's why I wouldn't own a by Stephen Rideout (not verified)
If you get a Tesla, you better have a spare vehicle and very, very deep pockets. Repair costs for Teslas are sky high, and things break or fail on Teslas all the time. Out of the top 34 major brands world wide, Tesla ranks 4th least reliable auto maker, and 1st for most defects in a new car. If you manage to find an independent repair shop to fix your Tesla, you run the risk of having exclusive features, like supercharging or autopilot, permanently disabled by the manufacturer. Ask James Klafehn about his Tesla service experience.
Not true. The free
Permalink
In reply to That's why I wouldn't own a by Stephen Rideout (not verified)
Not true. The free electricity at Tesla is a marketing strategy. They do it to sell their cars. It is also at a few stations and charge time is limited. And don't think it is permanent free. Then everybody would be driving EVs. Nothing is for free.
By the way, the Mustang Mach E has a much better range and similar charge times than the comparable Tesla model. And build quality is light-years ahead of Tesla. The Mach E is outselling the similar Tesla model by a large margin.
Funny the four mach e owners
Permalink
In reply to Not true. The free by Theo Van Niekerk (not verified)
Funny the four mach e owners all got ride of it. And turn it in. Guess you missed the note about mach e needing jump starts cause of 12v battery issies
All these stories depends on
Permalink
In reply to Funny the four mach e owners by David (not verified)
All these stories depends on where and who just like any stories. I have 13k on my Mach E never had an issue. I pay $2.50 for 250 to 300 miles. It all depends on circumstances and how you use it. By the way I can also tell of a brand new jeep wrangler that caught on fire randomly the first day of ownership doesn't mean everyone's will
every time I think about
Permalink
In reply to Not true. The free by Theo Van Niekerk (not verified)
every time I think about buying the Mach E, I ask myself, how will I use it to go to Florida for vacation. the thought stops there. I'll keep my model 3. I have been all over North America with seamless charging
Every time I think about
Permalink
In reply to every time I think about by heywood (not verified)
Every time I think about sitting at charging stations for 4 hours to get from LA to Tacoma I'm glad I have a Honda Civic.
What! Clueless you are, you
Permalink
In reply to Every time I think about by Rich (not verified)
What! Clueless you are, you won’t spend more than thirty minutes for a full charge at Tesla superchargers, maybe you are talking about charging at home on a 240v for four hours that gives you on average 250 miles of range at 75 mph
Everytime I think of taking
Permalink
In reply to What! Clueless you are, you by Caros (not verified)
Everytime I think of taking more than 2 minutes to fill up I think I'm keeping my gas car
Every time I think of having
Permalink
In reply to Everytime I think of taking by Jscott1000 (not verified)
Every time I think of having to actually stop at a place or make a trip to fuel up my car, I think I'm keeping my EV. :)
Honestly after making the switch I hate using my wife's car and realizing I need to stop for gas.
He is not clueless. With the
Permalink
In reply to What! Clueless you are, you by Caros (not verified)
He is not clueless. With the range of a Tesla he will need to stop 4 times to recharge each way on this trip. You aren't guaranteed there is a charger open immediately when you stop either. YOU Sir need to rethink your math.
Everytime I think of that I
Permalink
In reply to Every time I think about by Rich (not verified)
Everytime I think of that I fly.