How Much Does It Cost To Keep An Electric Car Charged
Electric cars are becoming popular as people become more eco-friendly conscious. Yet, one of the main concerns people have about electric cars is how much does it cost to charge an electric car. The good news is that the cost of charging an electric car has been dropping in recent years. Also, authorities expect that the cost will to continue drop in the coming years. The average cost to charge an electric car is currently around $1.50 per 100 miles.
The cost of charging an electric car depends on a few factors. These include the type of charger you are using and the electricity rate. For example, if you are using a standard wall outlet to charge your electric car, the cost will be lower than if you are using a high-speed charger. In general, the cost of charging an electric car will continue to drop as more people switch to electric cars and the technology improves.
How Can I Increase The Range Of My Electric Car
Of course, personal driving pleasure stands and falls with the range. As an electric car driver, you are always anxious to be on the road with a sufficiently charged battery. Fortunately, a wallbox at home and the growing public charging network can give you a secure feeling. In addition, our 5 insider tips can help you get the most out of your electric car range.
|
Range after charging 1 hour at wallbox |
Charging time at wallbox¹ |
Charging time at domestic socket¹² |
Plug Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,7 |4,6 | 6,6³ kW | 25 | 30 | 40 km | ||
| 3,7 |4,6 | 6,6³ kW | 30 | 35 | 55 km | ||
| B-Klasse Sports Tourer B 250 e | 28 kWh | ||
| 3,3 | 4,6 | 6,6³ kW | 20 | 25 | 40 km | ||
| 3,3 | 4,6 | 6,6³ kW | 20 | 25 | 40 km | ||
| 3,3 | 4,6 | 6,6³ | DC 50 kW | 300 km in 40 min | 4:30 h | |
| 3,3 | 4,6 | 6,6³ kW | 15 | 25 | 35 km | ||
| 150 km in 30 min an 50 kW | 8,5 h | ||
| Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Executive | 14,1 kWh | ||
| Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo | 14,1 kWh | ||
| Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo | 14,1 kWh | ||
| Find charging station |
13-13,5 kWh
13,1 kWh
9,5 | 6,5 h
What Is Top Up Charging
Most electric car drivers plug-in to charge whenever they park, be it at home overnight or during the day at the supermarket, gym or their workplace. This is called top up charging.
- Instead of letting the battery run empty and waiting while it fully recharges, drivers make use of the time their car is parked to keep the battery topped up.
- Public and workplace charging points typically range from 7kW to 22kW, making them ideal for top up charging. Find out how to access public charging in our guide.
- Combining daytime top-up charging with overnight charging at home is an effective way to keep your electric car charged and ready to go.
Tip: Electric car drivers dont worry much about how long it takes to charge from empty-to-full. Its more useful for them to know how many miles of range theyll get when they plug-in to top up.
Also Check: Tesla Charging Stations For Home
How Fast Is Level 3 Ev Charging
Level 3 charging is the fastest method of charging and supplies 3-20 times more power than higher rates of Level 2 charging. The slowest Level 3 charging station will still be at least 3x faster than the fastest Level 2 charging rates.
Level 1 charging can take 2-3 days for a full recharge. Level 2 charging can take 10-15 hours. Level 3 charging only takes 15-45 minutes for an 80% charge.
The reason Level 3 charging is only calculated up to 80% is because as the internal resistance of the battery builds up, the supply power must be dramatically reduced in order to prevent overheating and damage to the battery.
The high charging rates of Level 3 charging are readily accepted by the battery until the 80% mark. After that, the EVs onboard computers will stop the process to severely throttle it.
Below is a table where I calculated the Level 3 charging times for the 11 top selling EVs in the last year.
Theres a couple things to keep in mind:
- Just because the EV takes longer to charge doesnt mean that it is worse than the others, as some electric vehicles have much larger batteries and therefore more range
- All electric vehicles have a maximum kilowatt rate that they can accept when charging at Level 3 , so just because you bring your Nissan Leaf to a 350kw charger doesnt mean it can accept that much
- The times below are in minutes, and not hours
| EV Model | |
|---|---|
| 48 | *24 |
What About Tesla Superchargers
The Tesla Supercharger network is comprised of DC Fast Charging stations designed for Tesla vehicles. The most recent iteration can recharge up to 75 miles in 5 minutes, or 1,000 miles an hour. Vehicles from other automakers are currently not compatible with these stations, but Supercharger technology does provide a glimpse into the bright future of EV charging.
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Why Does My Charging Speed Slow Down As I Charge
To answer that question, we first have to understand the vehicles battery. When most people imagine a car battery, they might imagine one big block sitting inside the car. In reality, inside a battery pack are hundreds and often thousands of smaller battery cells. As a result, when a battery charges, those thousands of cells are actually whats being charged.
A helpful analogy might be to imagine sitting in a movie theater. When the theater is empty, its easy to find a seat right away. But as the theater fills up, we have to take a few moments to find a seat and climb over people . Thats what happens with battery cells at the molecular level. When the battery cells are nearly empty, its easy to find a seat to charge. But as the battery cells fill up, it takes more time to find the empty cells. Generally, above 80% full is when its hardest for electrons to find a seat in your batterys movie theater.
NOTE: Your charging speed will slow down throughout the course of your charge. And every vehicle decides that slow down rate differently. Every manufacturer determines this in order to keep your vehicles battery healthy and increase longevity.
What You Should Know About Electric Vehicle Charging
In many ways, owning an electric vehicle is like owning a phone. Charge it at night so you can use it during the day if you need extra power, you can plug it in for a quick boost. However, the charging speed will depend on the vehicles compatibility and the type of charger youre using. The battery capacity will also determine how long it takes to reach a full charge.
While electric vehicles make up only a small percentage of new car sales, the category is becoming increasingly popular as battery technology improves. And more EVs on the road means more money invested in the countrys charging infrastructure. As of this writing, there are over 40,000 public charging stations in the U.S. Thats roughly a quarter of the number of existing gas stations, and more are being built each year.
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Electricity Costs For Charging
The fuel efficiency of an EV may be measured in kilowatt-hours per 100 miles. To calculate the cost per mile of an EV, the cost of electricity and the efficiency of the vehicle must be known. If electricity costs ¢10.7 per kWh and the vehicle consumes 27 kWh to travel 100 miles, the cost per mile is about $0.03.
If electricity costs ¢10.7 per kilowatt-hour, charging an EV with a 200-mile range will cost about $6 to reach a full charge. To compare the fueling costs of individual models of conventional and electric vehicles, see the Vehicle Cost Calculator.
For EV charging, the stability and planning benefits of household electricity rates offer an attractive alternative compared to traditional types of transportation. Learn more from the report: Comparing Energy Costs per Mile for Electric and Gasoline-Fueled Vehicles.
Can Any Ev Use Any Ev Charging Station
For the most part, as long as youve got a compatible port on your electric car, you should be able to get a charge from a public charging station. However, know that this can vary from charging station to charging station. At the moment in Australia, Tesla vehicles are able to use any Type 2 charging station, however, a non-Tesla EV cant use a Tesla charging station at the moment, despite speculation that this will soon change in the U.S..
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Evs Are Better For Urban Adventures Than Going Off The Grid
Even in Californiathe state with the most EV chargers anywhere in the U.S.it can be difficult to find fast chargers outside of major cities. Traveling to more remote places, like national parks, will require more advance planning in an EV than sticking to urban areas. This is especially true in states with fewer available charging stations. Thats not to say that you cant drive across the country in an electric vehicleits absolutely possible, as long as you plan ahead.
How Many Miles Of Driving Range Per Hour With Level 1 Charging
On average, an electric vehicle will gain 4-7 miles of driving range per hour of Level 1 charging. Level 1 charging provides 1.44-1.92kW of power per hour, and an average EV will get 3-5 miles of range per kilowatt hour.
| Level 1 Charging Breaker Size | Driving Miles Gained per Hour of Charging |
|---|---|
| 15 Amp | |
| 20 Amp | 4.6 7.7 |
You can calculate a solid ballpark estimate of the total miles of range gained per hour for your particular model, or any model that youre looking at.
- Step 1: Locate your EVs EPA MPGe rating with this website and divide the MPGe by 33.7
- Step 2: Multiply your answer from Step 1 by either 1.44kW for a 15-amp breaker, or 1.92kW for a 20-amp breaker
- Step 3: Multiply your answer from Step 2 by the charging efficiency factor
Example:
A 2020 Tesla Model Y has an EPA combined MPGe of 111 , well be charging with a 20-amp breaker, and our efficiency factor will be 0.8.
- 111 / 33.7 = 3.29 miles per kilowatt hour
- 3.29 x 1.92kw = 6.32 miles of range before inefficiencies
- 6.32 x 0.8 = 5.1 miles of range per hour of Level 1 charging at 20-amps
Below you can check out the top selling 11 models over the last year and how many miles they gain per hour of Level 1 charging with 15 and 20 amps.
| EV Model | |
|---|---|
| 3.08 | 4.1 |
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Learn More About Ev Charging
Whatever way you look at it, the time it takes to charge will always be different from putting gas in a tank. Driving an EV is in many ways different from driving a car that runs on gas. Check out our exhaustive EV charging guide to learn everything you need to know about charging an electric car from the costs of charging, and the range of the average car battery, to untangling the difference between EV charging cables, plugs, and connectors.
How Much Power Does Level 3 Charging Supply
The current range for Level 3 charging is from 50kW to 350kW, though most electric cars are presently not capable of charging at the 350kW rate and fall at 250kw or below.
Level 3 charging works with Direct Current and not Alternating Current .
When you charge your vehicles at home with Level 1 or Level 2 charging, you are using AC power from your wall outlets. That electricity enters into the EV via the EVSE and the onboard charger converts that AC into DC electricity. That conversion process lowers charging efficiency.
DC fast charging, or Level 3, converts the AC power to DC at the station itself and the station itself is the charger. When you hook up the EVSE, the electricity flows directly into the battery and bypasses the onboard charger.
Keep in mind that if you are occupying a charging station that supplies more kilowatts of power than your vehicle can accept and you pay by the minute, you will be charged for the full potential of the stations charger rather than the reduced total that your vehicle can accept.
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Charging Electric Vehicles At Home
Most drivers of electric vehicles which include all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles charge their vehicles overnight at home using AC Level 1 or AC Level 2 charging equipment. Residential equipment is frequently installed in garages, but outdoor installation and use are also safe, even if the vehicle is being charged in the rain. Outdoor installations require outdoor-rated equipment. Charging at a multifamily housing requires additional considerations and may be more like public charging than charging at a single-family home.
How Long Does An Electric Car Last Before Recharging
Electric cars are becoming more and more popular as the years go by. But how long does it take to recharge one? Depending on the make and model of the electric car, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 12 hours to completely recharge the battery.
The time it takes to recharge an electric car battery also depends on the size and capacity of the battery. Generally, the larger the battery, the longer it will take to recharge. Additionally, some electric cars come with a charging port that is faster than others.
Most electric car owners recharge their vehicles every day or two. Some people choose to recharge their cars only when the battery is low. Recharging an electric car takes about as long as filling up a gasoline-powered car with fuel.
Why Is My Electric Car Charging Slowly
Most new electric cars charge very quickly until they charge your battery to 80%. They then slow down to protect the batteries and prolong their life.
Batteries are under the greatest strain when they are either completely fully charged, or completely empty. Software controls the speed of charging to make sure the battery is protected.
Installing Charging Equipment In Your Home
EV owners may install Level 2 charging equipment in their homes for a faster charge, or opt for the Level 1 cordset provided with the vehicle as shown here.
Many EV owners are able to meet their daily driving range requirements by charging overnight with Level 1 equipment, requiring no additional cost or installation, provided that a power outlet on a dedicated branch circuit is available near their parking location. Level 2 charging equipment can be installed for drivers with less regular schedules, longer commutes, or EVs with large batteries that require more than overnight to fully charge. State and utility incentives may be available to help offset the cost of charging equipment.
Most Level 2 products have standard safety features and status lights. More advanced, “smart” Level 2 products have features such as data collection, user interface systems, enhanced displays, charging timers, communications capabilities, and keypads. Purchasing safety-certified equipment is recommended, such as the products certified under the ENERGY STAR label, which are tested by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, along with having a certified electrical contractor.
Electricians can inform homeowners whether their home has adequate electrical capacity for vehicle charging. Some homes might have insufficient electric capacity for Level 2 equipment. However, a qualified electrician can add circuits to accommodate the capacity needed for Level 2 charging.
What You Need To Know
The level of charge used to replenish a battery will generally determine the speed at which an electric car can charge, but that’s not the only deciding factor. It’s important to note, too, that overall charging speed is limited by a vehicle’s maximum charging rate. Different makes and models have different maximum charging rates. For instance, if a vehicle has a maximum charging rate of 20kW per hour, and the charging station being used has a maximum charging rate of 40kW per hour, the vehicle will only charge at a maximum speed of 20kW per hour.
A battery’s capacity is the limit for how much power a battery can physically store. Electric cars outfitted with large batteries can hold more power and go further between charges but require more time to recharge from zero than batteries designed to hold less power. Similarly, a battery’s state of charge will impact how long it takes to recharge. It will take longer for a depleted battery to recharge than if that same battery already had a partial charge. Freezing temperatures will also slow down how fast an electric car charges and reduce its efficiency. Drivers may experience an overall reduction in electric driving range during extreme temperatures.
