Do You Pay To Charge An Electric Car

Universal Electric Vehicle Incentive

Government of Prince Edward Island is offering the most generous electric vehicle incentive in Canada by providing $5,000 to Islanders who purchase a new or used EV. Government is also offering $2,500 to those who buy a plug-in hybrid.

Questions about the Universal Electric Vehicle Incentive? Visit the electric vehicle incentive page or email .

Does Sales Tax Apply To Electric Car Charging Services

Though the first sales of electricity predate sales tax, selling electricity through an electric vehicle charging station is relatively new. And in some states, its not clear whether such sales are subject to sales tax.

South Carolina sales and use tax applies to the sale and use of tangible personal property. The law defines tangible personal property as personal property which may be seen, weighed, measured, felt, touched, or which is in any other manner perceptible to the senses. It also includes services and intangibles, including sales of electricity, the sale or use of which is subject to tax under this chapter .

If electricity is subject to sales tax, are sales of electricity at an electric vehicle charging station subject to sales tax? An electric charging station business wisely reached out to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for clarification. In Private Letter Ruling 20-5, the department confirmed:

• Electricity sold to consumers by electric car charging stations is subject to South Carolina sales tax
• Electricity sold to electric car charging stations by utilities for resale to customer is an exempt wholesale sale

Keeping up with changing sales tax laws in multiple states is taxing. Automating sales tax collection and remittance makes it less so. Learn more at avalara.com

Cost Of Charging Electric Car At Public Station

Public charging stations can range from business office chargers to curbside stations and commercial parking garages to shopping malls, restaurants, and hotels. The truth is that today, theres no shortage of businesses big and small investing in EV charging. At the same time, cities and governments are investing in EV charging infrastructure to empower their sustainable transformations. When you put both together, youve got charging stations springing up all over the place.

Public charging stations can be either Level 2 or Level 3 stations but, for simplicity, weve split them into two categories and will discuss them separately. As theres a middle man providing the service, public charging stations usually have a marked-up price in comparison to home charging. How much it costs to charge completely depends on how much the provider charges you for the service.

In some cases, like workplaces and offices, the provider is also an employer and will provide EV charging as an employee benefit and may charge less, or even allow employees to charge for free. Others, like parking facilities and shopping malls, will take the price of electricity and mark it up to make a profit on it, like any other service they offer. Some, like restaurants and hotels, may use EV charging as a way to advertise and attract new customers.

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Ev Charging Times Depend On The Car And The Charger

There is no single EV charging time given to electric cars across the board. While many models share similar charging windows, various factors increase or decrease this period, including the cable, battery capacity, and external temperature. So, keep this in mind if you’re considering buying an electric car or if you want to learn more about charging times in general.

How Much Does Electricity Cost Where I Live

Since electricity costs vary widely throughout the country, estimating costs can get tricky. People pay an average of just under 15 cents per kWh in the United States for residential power.

California residents pay an average of 27 cents per kWh, while residents of states such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Idaho routinely pay about 10 cents per kWh. Check out your states average rate. Also, some power companies offer discounts for using electricity during off-peak hours, substantially lowering the rate per kWh to charge your vehicle.

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Types Of Ev Charging Plugs

The level of power that the charging point on the wall can deliver is only one part of the EV charging situation the other is the type of charging port on the charger and the car itself. These plugs and ports have multiple pins some are for transferring electricity, and others are data connections used by the car and charging station to manage the electricity flow in the best way. Some EVs have multiple connection type options.

Type 1

This is a five-pin design, not so common in Australia these days. Also known as J1772 or SAE J1772, it’s mainly found on older models of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV or Nissan Leaf.

Type 2

A seven-pin design, this is the standard type used in Australia and it’s what you’ll find on pretty much all current BEVs sold in Australia. It’s also known as an IEC 62196 or Mennekes plug.

CHAdeMo

Short for “charge de move” but also “cha de mo ikaga desuka” . This is a fast charger connection used by several EV brands, mainly Japanese but including some European brands.

CCS

Adaptors

Read more: Six ways to unleash Australia’s electric vehicle potential

Equip Your Home With A Level 2 Charging Station

If you plan on charging your EV at home, the next key step is to equip your home with a level 2 charging station. These vary more and more in response to the increase of electric vehicle models available today. Youâll consequently have to choose a charging station that best suits your needs and your lifestyle.

Some models are mounted to a wall, others are available as plug-in versions and can be moved. There are âsmartâ level 2 charging stations that allow you to view your charging history or even schedule charging sessions at specific times of the day. Some charging stations are better suited for cold weather than others.

Yes, there are many factors to consider when you decide to purchase a Level 2 charging station for your home. But fear not! The ChargeHub Team has prepared a guide on How to Choose Your Home Charging Station. Letâs take a look, shall we?

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Cost To Charge Electric Car At A Dc Fast Charger

Level 3 or DC charging is the fastest way to charge an EV. Depending on the power output and your vehicles fast charging capabilities, it will likely take somewhere between seven minutes and one hour to charge your new EV up to 80 percent full. These speeds make DC charging stations perfect like on-the-go locations like highway rest stops, gas stations, or supermarkets.

However, DC charging stations are also the most expensive. To enable these charging times, DC charging stations have to deliver serious amounts of power to a vehicles batterythink between 50 and 350 kW rather than 22 kW, the maximum output for most AC charging stations.

DC charging infrastructure is far more expensive to buy and run, and as a result, charging service providers charge not only for convenience but also for the additional expenses incurred by the provider. In some cases, these providers can ask double, or even triple, the cost per kWhmaking the costs here similar to the cost of filling up your tank with fossil fuels. Typical costs can range from $0.55 per kWh with a $2 service fee to a flat rate of $0.99 per minute. This means that to fully charge the same Tesla Model S as above, it would be closer to $40 for a full battery. As such, DC fast charging is a convenience that cost-wise comes closest to the cost youre used to paying for gas.

You Need To Do Some Math

Dont sweat it. The math involved is pretty simple. For the most accurate estimate, it helps if you have a recent electric bill for reference. Youll want to calculate the amount you pay for electricity in a given month. Then well provide examples so you can determine how much you spend on each kilowatt-hour of electricity used.

For home charging, find your electric bill, then divide the of kilowatt-hours you used into the bottom-line dollar total. Thatll give you the price you paid per kWh, Voelcker explains.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average U.S. household pays about 15 cents per kWh.

Lets apply this rate to a typical electric car. This example does not take into consideration any discounts provided by your utility.

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How Powerful Is My Cars Battery

Knowing your cars battery capacity and how much power your charger uses, you can figure out how long it will take to charge your vehicle, giving you a better estimate of how much it will cost to charge. To get the amount: Divide your cars battery capacity by the power rating of your cars onboard charger, then add 10% to the loss of power associated with charging it.

Your cars maximum charging rate also makes a difference. The energy your battery can accept at once makes a massive difference in how much it will cost to charge. Although commercial electricity often costs a little less than residential power, your cars maximum charging rate doesnt change.

So unless your vehicle uses a large and powerful battery, it isnt at all a given that you can save time or money by charging your battery at a Level 3 charging station.

Many new car buyers can find vehicles that include a period of free charging or discounts on home charger installation through Electrify America, EVgo, and ChargePoint public stations. EVs with free charging incentives include the Chevrolet Bolt, Kia EV6, Porsche Taycan, Volkswagen ID.4, and others.

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Planning Your Electric Getaway

If you’re planning on a road trip with your electric vehicles , you’ll want to prepare for the cost of charging. Calculating the cost of that can be tricky. There are multiple types of chargers and charging networks, and the costs of electricity vary from state to state.

Many EVs now can range more than 200 miles per charge. For major trips, you’ll likely have to charge your vehicle several times.

In general, it will cost between $10 and $30 to charge your EV while on the road, depending on what level of charger you are using. That makes the cost of an EV road trip comparable with that of the same journey in a regular car. There are, however, plenty of factors that can complicate this apparently simple math.

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Pay With Contactless Credit Or Debit Card

Many networks now take contactless credit or debit card payment and, generally speaking, charge point operators have been moving to make payment easier for EV drivers.

Quick, easy and accessible, contactless payment suits many people. The government has mandated that contactless payment be available on all new rapid chargers that are installed but this is not yet the case.

Its worth noting that contactless payment does tend to be the most expensive form of payment, partly due to cost of installation. Whats more, while charge point operators are moving to make payment more accessible with most new devices sporting contactless terminals this form of payment is typically only available on rapid and ultra-rapid devices. This is likely to remain the case given that the cost of installing the unit is high. Moreover, many existing slow and fast chargers across the UK do not have contactless capability and are unlikely to receive an upgrade for some time.

Finally, although quick and easy, bear in mind that you wont receive live updates on your charging status with contactless, or a payment receipt.

See how to filter for chargers that accept contactless payment on Zap-Map in the video below.

The Costs Of A Solar System: $7000 And Up

Unless you’ll be charging electric cars for many years to come, it can be difficult to make an economic case for installing a solar system just to serve your EV.

In the Los Angeles area, a 1-kilowatt solar system produces an average of 4 kWh of power per day. A base Tesla Model 3, which is EPA-rated at 29 kWh/100 miles and is one of the more efficient EVs available, would need at least a 3.1-kW system to get about 50 miles of range per daily charge. Such a system costs roughly $7,000 and doesn’t include the cost of a storage battery to hold power for overnight charging. That feature could double the cost.

Solar starts to make more sense if you install a system capable of providing electricity for the household as well as the EV. Upfront costs of owning a solar system outright can be steep. But on average, a properly sized whole-house solar system will pay for itself over about seven years and will last for at least 25 years. Costs are largely dependent on the size of the system, regional labor rates, the quality of the solar panels and power inverter used, and the complexity of the installation.

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How To Charge An Ev On A Road Trip

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 tripthat is, at a commercial chargercosts significantly more than charging it at home.

However, fueling costs vary much more for EVs than for ICE vehicles. This is caused by 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 are typically 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

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

Costs Of Charging An Ev At Home

Electricity rates are subject to many factors, including the region where you live, the time of year, and even the time of day when peak charges apply. For the most part, electricity usage and costs are at their lowest late at night. Thats good news for anyone considering an EV, according to Voelcker.

While shoppers worry about access to public charging stations, they need to know that as much as 90% of electric car charging is done overnight at home, Voelcker said. The cheapest way to charge your electric car is almost always at home, overnight. Some utilities have special low rates for the overnight period when their demand is lightest.

Where you live directly impacts your electric bill. People living in Maine pay nearly double for each kWh of energy used than in states like Wyoming or Nebraska.

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What Are The Differences Between Ev Chargers

There are three levels of chargers:

Calculating How Much It Costs To Charge Your Electric Car

Electric vehicles have different ranges, meaning some go further than others on a single charge. The cost per kWh can also vary wildly from one region to the next. However, those are not the only variables to consider when determining the cost of charging an electric vehicle.

Another crucial factor is where the EV owner charges their vehicle and with what equipment. Those who charge their cars at home will pay different rates than those who use a commercial charger. The type of charger also plays a role in cost, which means some people who charge their cars using commercial options will pay different prices than others.

Charging Your Electric Car at Home

Calculating how much it costs to charge an electric vehicle at home is relatively simple. Here are the steps:

For example, if the EV driver pays $0.14 per kWh, their car gets an average of three miles per kWh, and it has a total range of 360 miles, the formula would look like this:

Cost to Charge = x $0.14

The math in the formula shows that this particular electric vehicle costs $16.80 to charge at home.

Charging Your Electric Car With a Commercial Charger

Cost to Charge = x $0.21

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