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Charging an Electric Vehicle In Public Can Cost Triple What Fueling Up a “Gas-Guzzler” Does

Public EV charging can be ridiculously expensive. Here is what we paid to add 34 miles to a new 2022 model year EV at an EVgo charger.
Image of Chevy Bolt charging at EVgo DCFC by John Goreham

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.

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Image of Chevy Bolt charging at EVgo DCFC by John Goreham$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.

Image of Dodge Charger by John Goreham

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.

Image of Chevy Bolt charging at EVgo DCFC by John GorehamCharging 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?

Chevy Bolt charging poll image by John Goreham

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

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Comments

John Goreham    December 27, 2021 - 1:24PM

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Thank you for confirming the fuel economy I reported reflects your real-world experience. As the story points out, it was a highway trip. Metro Boston to southern NH is mostly Rt 93 North to 89 North. The speed limit is 65 or 55 MPH Then a stretch of one-lane highway on 202 West at 55 MPH. I had to use 295 for a bit to access the charger. That road is mostly 55. These cars are crazy efficient at 55. I've tested every SRT model made up until this past fall. MPG over 20 on the highway is the norm, not the exception, based on my testing. When we take them on track the MPG runs around 10 to 15 MPG.

R Bartho (not verified)    January 20, 2022 - 3:47AM

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Very misleading. I own Chevy Bolt that has a 60kwh battery. I usually charge at home for. $. 08kwh, costing $4.80 to fill up and travel ~230 miles. That equates about 160MPGe. DC fast charging in my are is about $. 041kwr, so the cost to fill would be $24.60 and still get average of ~230 miles or an equivalence of 32mpg based on the price of $3.40/gal of. gasoline. Also, the Bolt is fast, powerful 200HP- 260FP torque, smooth, quiet and requires zero power train or battery maintenance. Hello?

Eddy Lauterback (not verified)    January 20, 2022 - 6:59PM

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I love my 19 Bolt. Getting battery replacement in 1 week with a fresh 100,000 mile/8 year warranty. Have a level 2 plug in garage and on long trips I use my ICE vehicle. But 95% of my driving is in town or to the Tulsa airport. Acceleration always catches the kid in the Charger off guard!

Einstein (not verified)    February 16, 2022 - 5:50AM

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That's nice, you'll be able to throw it in the trash before it hits 150,000 miles, meanwhile my Chevy van that I paid $4200 for is still going fine at 580,000 miles

John Goreham    February 17, 2022 - 3:41PM

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R Bartho, as the owner of a vehicle that is having its battery replaced under the most costly per-vehicle recall in history, are you seriously throwing down with "requires zero power train or battery maintenance?" I'm a big fan of the Bolt and Bolt UV, but that seems a little nutty.

Tar (not verified)    February 23, 2022 - 3:41PM

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Sorry, but 24MPG for a 797 hp car? I mean if you're going to take the rating from manufacturer who drives the car downhill to come up with those numbers... sure. I don't think it's a fair comparison when taking a look at most expensive EV charging rate versus dream MPG of an ICE vehicle.

DeanMcManis (not verified)    July 12, 2021 - 10:57PM

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This is definitely a hidden cost of public chargers, and another advantage (for now) of plug-in hybrids. I get about 40 miles of EV range, but I switch to EV mode when driving in the city, and trade off between EV or gas mode when driving longer distances on the freeway. I always fully charge up at home overnight. When the rates are the lowest at 15 cents per kW. So it would have cost me less than $1.50 to go those same 34 miles. And even running in hybrid mode I manage 40MPG+. I don't have 800HP in the Cadillac ELR, but if you tapped into that car's tremendous performance, you wouldn't have managed 24MPG. In fact it might have switched to gallons per mile. Still, it is eye-opening to see these high speed public charger costs because $10 for 34 miles is nothing even close to being an economical car. And it's a heads-up for those prospective buyers who cannot cheaply charge their EV at home.

Sean (not verified)    July 13, 2021 - 12:09PM

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The article and replies I found to be missing the point on carbon emissions. We should have implemented hybrids, electric, and charging stations years ago to help with carbon emissions from them heating up the planet. The auto and petroleum industry in America carry big sticks in Washington- so if was going to cost $ and no pressure was put on these industries- then no change to cleaner fuels.

Also the article mentions pennies comparing electric fill up of a Bolt to a 800 hp Dodge- let me ask u- what car running on the road for the next 10 years will emit more carbon? - the Bolt or the Dodge?

I know tbe article was about fuel costs between electric charge vs gas but if u have a 800 hp car that burns gas easily- don't u think that same person can afford to pay $2 more to charge an electric car?

Arlo (not verified)    July 14, 2021 - 12:33PM

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One problem with your logic about carbon emissions: Your "zero" emissions EV isn't zero emissions. Only 17% of electrical generation is renewables. So a smokestack somewhere is spewing out carbon to charge your EV.

I'm not against EVs. My point is nothing is free. Everything has an impact, even EVs.

I saw a scholarly article discussing the low energy density of renewables, and that generating all of energy needs through renewables in the US would require the use of an additional land area larger than Pennsylvania. That's a big impact.

Misconception (not verified)    July 15, 2021 - 6:20AM

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There is a bit of difference beween power generation in your car vs power generation for the electrical grid. Your car is about 18% efficient in turning the potential energy into a gallon of gas into energy for driving, etc...

A natural gas power plant peaks at about 63% efficiency. So while you are correct that there is still emissions being created, its at a much lower rate.

Dennis (not verified)    July 15, 2021 - 11:52PM

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18% we are not still living in late 1800, when the electric car was the leader. The latest technology is easily reaching 55% thermo efficiency. So when take into account the huge carbon foot print the electric car has coming off the assembly line, and you believe putting plant food into the atmosphere is a bad thing. Then don't buy an electric car.

Lonnie (not verified)    July 19, 2021 - 7:58PM

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Actually... According to scientific information available, a modern gasoline engine is about 40% thermodynamically efficient. Modern natural gas powered power stations run around 38% to 41% efficient unless they are setup with a waste heat powered turbine at which time they will prove to be possibly as high as 60% thermodynamically efficient. Just recently, Nissan introduced an engine that is over 50% thermodynamically efficient... which is getting closer to diesel engine efficiency. There's still a lot of life left in internal combustion engines. Until they make batteries rechargeable in five minutes and able to consistently run efficiently in ANY ambient temperature, I'll just keep my gasoline powered vehicle with it's much more convenient, easy to use and exponentially more energy dense fuel source. One day electrics will rule, just not because the government says. We have pretty much jumped right from internal combustion engines straight into all electric... Without the infrastructure to support it. And our electric grid is a dubious players wet dream... Not only could someone like Russia or China completely shut the USA electric grid down, they could completely shut down our entire transportation system. More work needs to be done before the whole world switches to electric.

Sgtm7 (not verified)    August 16, 2021 - 6:41AM

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Good point about how environment effects range. Today was a relatively mild summer day where I live; temperature only got to 110. With AC working hard, range decreases drastically.

Spencer Pon (not verified)    August 21, 2021 - 11:03PM

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It's amazing to me how many people bash electric cars because they think taking more than 5 minutes to "fill the tank" is a deal breaker. How often does the average person drive 200+ miles a day? If you have a garage and an EV, EVERY morning you start with whatever capacity (range) you want up to 100%. The actual miles will vary based on which car/battery you purchase (my Model 3 can get 300 miles). Except for long trips, you spend 0 minutes charging because you charge every night at home. I have made several trips from SF to Lake Tahoe (200 miles and an elevation change from 0' to7000' (summit) to 5000' (lake level) without stopping, and had free charging once I was at the hotel. My daily commute is 32 miles (rt). The only times I've spent waiting for my car to charge is when I drove to Washington state. I found the Supercharger network very convenient on those long trips and, being older, found the 20-30 minute charging stops helpful in relieving the tiredness a long drive brings on. Also all the superchargers have food and restrooms nearby. Lastly, my fuel costs dropped by 2/3rds (went from $145/month in gas to $44/month in added PG&E costs) when I switched to an EV, and gas was much cheaper in 2018 when I switched.

Jscott1000 (not verified)    December 26, 2021 - 11:13AM

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Many people do drive 100 or more miles in a day. And taking mote than 5 minutes to fill up is a deal breaker for many people.

When the electric car comes out that can recharge in 5 minutes at locations on every street corner at the same price as gasoline cars, then you won't need government subsidies and mandates to sell them.

Joe M (not verified)    July 15, 2021 - 5:49PM

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Since you're focusing on numbers, here's one for you. 4% of all the electricity consumed in the US is done by refineries. Once the refineries produce gas it still needs to be delivered to gas stations. And we burn that gas in our cars, which puts carbon back into the air.

Let's not forget that oil will run out someday.

Momus (not verified)    July 17, 2021 - 2:19PM

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This percentage very much depends on where you live. The province of Canada where I live for example generates 99.8% of all electricity using renewable sources, and produces basically zero carbon emissions. The next province over, which is the only other one I travel to regularly, generates over 91% of its electricity from renewable sources or nuclear, and also produces basically no CO2 emissions.

Both provinces combined generate about 1% of their total electric output using coal, natural gas, or diesel. That is not the case for the western provinces however, and Alberta for example, generates about 90% of its electricity from coal, gas, oil, and bitumen, and consequently has CO2 emissions from electricity about 100 times as high as Ontario and Quebec combined.

Phyzzi (not verified)    July 17, 2021 - 8:34PM

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While wind turbines can't be easily integrated into cities, solar panels and battery backups can. If we incentivise projects on already developed land over projects on undeveloped land, we can boost our renewable capacity significantly with the only downside being the energy and resources needed to create those renewables, and hopefully at least the energy can be offset easily and the materials, being mainly silicon, shouldn't be too destructive to obtain.

I also think there is a good opportunity for vertical windmills in cities and even perhaps rain based hydro-electric, as well as better reclamation of hydrocarbons, that could significantly improve our local energy in and near cities.

I also think that criticism of this article over focusing on the price instead of the benefit of reduced carbon emissions completely misses the point. Some people aren't selfish and really will spend more for the common good or are sufficiently motivated by the social status assigned to something like certain EV's that the price per mile doesn't matter. For others (especially for professional use) the price per mile has to figure into the decision. The point isn't "EV's aren't a good investment" but rather "we need to take a serious look at EV charging prices if we want this whole thing to work", because altruism just doesn't work for everyone.

Thomas Beshaw (not verified)    January 26, 2022 - 2:07PM

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@ Phyzzy What??? Who gets social status from owning an ev??? All I ever saw were jokes and general mockery of my S. I even started calling it my toy car. Was what everybody at my job called it. Having a hard time Tom? Had to settle for a tesla instead of a real car? Often received gifts of AA batteries, extension cords etc. as gags from others. Oh hey you were complaining you needed to charge here pop some of these in it, or here ya go bud plug it in here at work since you cant afford gas etc.. Even at its price point the S was below the average price point much cheaper than other cars I considered buying. You find out why too with their lack of quality fit and finish compared to luxury brands. Took 3 months complaining before it was properly fixed... well mostly fixed. The b Pilar would still pop off if you hit a bump right or drove overly aggressive. Was one of the crappiest cars in that regard I owned since I was poor in My 20's.

Matt (not verified)    July 19, 2021 - 1:56AM

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If you are going to spout this nonsense, at least have the decency to provide all the relevant information. You are not taking into account the emissions and energy used to extract, refine, and transport the fossil fuels burned by a gasoline engine. Should there be more energy produced by renewable sources, absolutely. Overall, to get the fuel you burn in a ICE vehicle to your tank, there are FAR more emissions produced than to produce the electricity to charge an EV, regardless of the type of generation used.

Lonnie (not verified)    July 21, 2021 - 2:19AM

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So... If you don't mind me asking... How do you suppose all the components on your ev are produced and delivered around the world? If you're going to count the environmental cost of a fossil fuel powered vehicle, then you should also count the environmental and human cost involved in making the "fuel" for an ev. (Edited for content. Point made)

Stooch (not verified)    January 10, 2022 - 2:42PM

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One can also argue that America is the most "nefarious" country in the world. (Edited for content. Profanity removed. The commenter's point is that America has done bad things).