How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car?

The average cost of charging an EV at a commercial charger, from almost empty to almost full, is between $10 and $30. Keep in mind that charging your EV on a road trip—that is, at a commercial charger—costs significantly more than charging it at home [1]Investopedia.

At the same time, fueling costs vary much more for EVs than for ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. This is due to multiple factors:

  • Wide variation in electrical power costs: Commercial charger rates are often double or triple those of residential rates. Even commercial charger rates can vary more than 50% within the same network. In comparison, gas prices vary by about 10% or less.   
  • Charger and battery varieties: Charging speed varies with the type of charger, level of charge in the battery, temperature, and the working status of the charger. This can make the time it takes to charge your battery vary considerably as well.
  • Pricing: Pricing at commercial chargers is often not directly comparable because there are different pricing systems. These typically involve some combination of per kWh, per unit time, and per session costs. This produces charging costs that vary considerably when calculated on a per kWh basis (the amount of charge you get per $1.)3

A second factor to consider is the type of charger you use. Not all EV chargers are the same. There are three different tiers:

  • Level 1: The slowest type of charger. It can take a full 24 hours to fully charge your car. 
  • Level 2: Delivers a charge of up to 28 miles per hour. The cost for level 2 ranges from $1 to $5 an hour. The cost per killowatt hour is approximately $0.20, although some establishments will have cheaper (or even free) charging for their customers.45 Normally these types of charging stations are found at hotels or shopping centers.
  • Level 3: Also known as direct current fast chargers (DCFC), level 3 chargers are the fastest. They can charge your battery to nearly full in as little as an hour and will cost between $10 to $30 per charge.2 The cost per kilowatt hour is approximately $0.30 to $0.48.4

Tesla has a proprietary network of chargers that it calls « Superchargers. » The cost of using these chargers for your Tesla varies depending on location and other factors, The average cost is around $0.25 per kWh, so a full recharge to 250 miles of range would run approximately $22 (unless you purchased a Model S or Model X between 2012 and 2016, in which case, it’s free).67

Formula for the Cost of Charging an Electric Car

The formula to determine cost factors in a vehicle’s range (VR), the range per kWh (RPK) which can be estimated at about 3 to 4 miles, and the cost per kWh (CPK).8

Charging Cost = (VR/RPK) x CPK

As an example, let’s say you drive 1,200 miles per month. Divide that figure by the range of 3 miles per kWh. The result is 400 kWh used in a month. Next, multiply that figure by your cost per kWh. If you use a Level 2 charger on the road that costs $0.25 per kWh, then your cost would be $100 per month. For a road trip, the vehicle range (and thus the cost) would most likely be less.

Saving Money on Your EV Road Trip

You’ll want to factor in extra time costs associated with finding a commercial charging station. If you don’t plan your road trip around the location of EV charging stations, you could spend a significant amount of time driving out of your way and even more time waiting for your EV to charge. These extra miles add to the cost of your trip.9

The national network of electric vehicle charging stations is set to expand under a $5 billion program established under the new National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula program. The program was established by the Infrastructure Law that passed in Feb. 2022.10

You can take steps to help reduce the cost of your EV road trip and make the costs more predictable. First, plan your route so that you can visit chargers when you’ll need them. Plan your time while you wait for your EV to charge. There are plenty of tools available to help you. Teslas come with their own route planner, and you can use apps like A Better Route Planner or PlugShare. Google Maps can also highlight EV charging stations.

There are several smart ways to save money on EV charges during your road trip. A few ideas include:

  • Choose hotels that offer charging stations. Not only are they often free or low-cost, but you also won’t have to spend time and effort to find charging stations in unfamiliar places.
  • Search for charging stations near restaurants, stores, or places you want to visit. That way, you can make the most of your charging time while dining, shopping, or doing activities.
  • Remember your charging cord, any adapters you own, and an extension cord—this type of preparation allows more flexibility to use a wider variety of charging stations.
  • Know that you don’t need to fully charge your battery at every charging station. Just get a little more charge than you need to reach your next stop, so you can spend more time enjoying your trip and less time waiting for your vehicle to charge.

FAQs

Can You Take a Big Road Trip in an Electric Car?

You can use an electric vehicle (EV) to take a long road trip. Many EVs now have ranges in excess of 200 miles. With planning, you can travel almost as easily on a big road trip as you would driving a gas vehicle.1

How Long Does It Take to Charge an EV on a Road Trip?

How long it takes to charge an EV on a road trip depends on which kind of charger you use. Some chargers take 24 hours to charge your EV, others take less than an hour. Tesla Superchargers can charge in about 15 minutes.11

How Do I Calculate My EV Road Trip Charging Cost?

It’s possible to estimate this manually, but the range of networks and prices can make it very difficult. Instead, use an app like EEVEE Mobility that can calculate the cost of charging, and show chargers near you.

The Bottom Line

The cost of charging your EV on a road trip can vary, but will generally be between $10 and $30 per charge. That can make the cost of a road trip in an EV higher than the cost in a conventional vehicle. To help reduce costs, consider using apps like A Better Route Planner or PlugShare to plan charging stations along your route. Use supermarket and hotel chargers when possible.

Though the cost of EV road trips might be higher in some cases, the overall cost of ownership of an EV is much lower. A Consumer Reports study found that EV drivers can expect to save substantial amounts on both maintenance and fuel costs. It found that EVs cost half as much to maintain and that the savings when charging at home more than cancel out any charging costs on an occasional road trip.

References

References
1 Investopedia