jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I saw a deceptive video about the cost of charging an EV (electric vehicle). The woman said that the most economical place to charge is at home, which is true. She claimed to "fill" her Tesla for $4.36 @ $0.08/kWh. That is not a realistic cost per kWh. My electric company does the same thing. It lists a lost cost per kWh, but then it adds fee after fee until I actually pay $0.33 per kWh.

If someone thinks they can charge their car for under $5.00, that's a big incentive to buy an EV. At my house, that $4.36 would be almost $18.00. Charging at public stations is comparable to, or more expensive than, buying gasoline. That's according to YouTubers charging at various locations.

BebuLamar

Well may be she doesn't consider the tax and fee etc.. Last month I paid $90.82 for 580kWh so it's about $0.16 per kWh. But if I don't consider the fee then it's $0.08. But even at the cost of $0.08 per kWh she only got 54kWh which is not enough to fullly charge the smallest Tesla battery which is 70kWh.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I divide the total electric bill by the KWH I used to get my cost per KWH.
After all the total, including fees and taxes, is what I had to pay to use the electricity....

And wouldn't charging at a public charging station cost more?
Who paid for the charging stations and installation?
No cost recovery involved?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right - total division. Charging at a station can be pricey, although I've heard that some are free.

Cost to charge an electric car at a public charging station
Overall, charging your car at a public EV charging station is more expensive than charging at home. Public charging systems that charge based on kWh average anywhere between $0.30 and $0.60 per kWh compared to $0.16 per kWh at home. The exact amount depends on local electricity cost and regulations, as well as the type of charger. Level 2 chargers generally cost between $0.20 and $0.25 per kWh, while Level 3 chargers, which are more common in public, range from $0.40 to $0.60 per kWh.

However you look at it, public charging comes with a markup of at least 100% compared to charging your electric car at home. As a result, most EV drivers charge at home if they can because it’s cheaper and more convenient, and you can often avoid the detour of refueling.

alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ

$.40-.60 per kw sounds like normal rate for Hawaii in 2013. I wonder what the charging stations charge there now.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Wouldn't it just take longer at 54 than 70?
It's a power transfer RATE, not a total amount of power transferred.

BebuLamar

No it's the total amount of energy which is rated in kWh. The rate of charge is kW which a home charger is 240V @ 30A = 7.2kW.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

So.... how many KWH after three hours of charging?

Red6

Our local utility charges around $0.10458 per kwh for residential and between $0.12-0.16 per kwh for commercial accounts.

I live in an apartment that provides chargers for $2.00 per hour of use. I use an app on my phone to connect and turn on the charger. I can charge my Nissan Leaf at 30% charge to 100% charge in around 3 to 4 hours. So I am paying around $7.00 - $8.00 for charging to 100% or a "full tank".

My gas car has an 18-gallon tank so at 30%, it would take 12.6 gallons to fill. At our gas prices today that would be around $35. I usually buy my gasoline at the local Costco and it is around $2.80 right now.

Breaking this down on a per-mile basis the gas car costs around $0.116 per mile and the Nissan EV costs around $0.072 per mile. At first glance, this is not that big of a difference. However, the EV does not require oil or oil changes.

If I had a house and garage it may even be cheaper. I think the single-family dwelling utility rate would be cheaper than what the apartment complex charges. In times of better weather, I could charge at local municipal parks where the chargers are FREE. That would bring my costs down even more. Also, I could stop in at our local Whole Foods for a cup of coffee and a snack while charging. Their chargers are free also.

BebuLamar

7.2 x 3 = 21.6kWh after 3 hours of charging in the house. It would take slightly more than 10 hours to charge a completely discharge 70kWh battery. Of course unlikely you have a completely discharge battery and also all calculations assume 100% efficiency which never is.
Any way the charger is built in to the car. The home charger is really only an outlet. Only supercharger which can charge very fast is the real charger which control the charging.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

In my book, charging is the biggest drawback to electric vehicles. The infrastructure is sparse and it takes significantly longer to do it than it takes to recharge a gasoline or diesel vehicle. The second biggest drawback is the range between full charges (which depends on the weather). And of course the third biggest drawback is the price (even considering the tax rebates).

Add to that the stories of people unable to charge their cars when the weather is REALLY cold because the car can't heat the battery to the point where it will take a charge. A gasoline powered car has that problem much less frequently since gasoline is a liquid down to about -100F. At that point the gasoline isn't the only problem you'll have. I have also seen online comments that say people are unable to turn on the heat in their vehicles in cold weather because it significantly impacts the range.

I view electric vehicles as being suited to in-town driving, shopping, things like that. But in a town, public transportation SHOULD be good enough to get you around and avoid the need for parking spaces on public roads and parking garages. Of course, what SHOULD be and what IS are wildly different things. And all that doesn't apply in small towns and rural areas.

I do a significant amount of driving >100 miles, in all seasons. EVs will have to improve a lot before I will spring for one.

/rant

BebuLamar

Assume that we have as many chargers as we have gas pumps still not enough to convert everyone to EV because it takes 5 minutes at the pump to fill the gas tank and it takes hours to charge.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Remember when gas stations had a card over the pump stating where the total cost comes from? The gas might cost $0.10, but after adding various taxes, the total was $0.35.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Last I knew the way math worked was 3 hours at 7KWH = 21 KW.... no hours on the result.
But hey, they keep changing things.....

BebuLamar

3 hours at 7.3kW that's 21.6 on the value. The unit is h*kW and it's kWh. They didn't change anything since you're born. You just didn't pay much attention to it which I do not blame you. There are much more important thing for you to pay attention to.