Average Cost To Charge An Electric Car – It is a very important question for the owners of electric vehicles: How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
In the sections below, we explain in detail how to calculate EV charging costs in each situation. However, first we give a brief overview.
Average Cost To Charge An Electric Car
The average cost to charge an electric car can vary depending on several factors, including the electricity rates in your area, the type of charging equipment you use, the efficiency of your car, and your driving habits. Here are the main components to consider when calculating the cost to charge an electric car:
- Electricity Rate: The cost of electricity can differ significantly from one region to another. The rate is usually measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and your electric utility company can provide you with the specific rate you pay per kWh.
- Charging Efficiency: Electric cars have a charging efficiency that determines how much energy is lost during the charging process. The efficiency can vary, but it is generally around 85-90%. This means that for every 100 kWh of electricity you use to charge your car, 85-90 kWh will actually be stored in the battery.
- Battery Capacity: The size of your car’s battery pack, usually measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), will determine how much energy it can store. A larger battery capacity will require more energy to charge fully.
- Charging Level: Electric car charging typically occurs at different levels: Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast charging (Level 3). Level 1 charging uses a standard household outlet (120 volts) and is the slowest method. Level 2 charging utilizes a 240-volt charger, which is faster. DC fast charging is the quickest method and is usually found at public charging stations. The charging level affects the charging time and cost.
To estimate the cost, you can use the following formula:
Cost to Charge = Battery Capacity (kWh) * Charging Efficiency * Electricity Rate (per kWh)
For example, if your electric car has a battery capacity of 60 kWh, the charging efficiency is 90%, and the electricity rate is $0.12 per kWh, the cost to charge from empty to full would be:
Cost to Charge = 60 kWh * 0.90 * $0.12/kWh = $6.48
It’s important to note that this is a simplified calculation and does not account for potential variations in electricity rates, time-of-use pricing, or any additional fees or taxes that may be applied. It’s also worth considering that many electric vehicle owners take advantage of off-peak charging rates or utilize public charging networks, which may have different pricing structures.
Ultimately, the cost to charge an electric car can be significantly cheaper compared to refueling a gasoline car, depending on your electricity rates and the efficiency of your electric vehicle.
The annual cost of charging a Leaf depends on (i) how many miles you drive per year and (ii) how much you pay per unit of electricity (kWh) when you charge it.
The Costs Of Installing A Home Charger For Your Tesla
The best and most likely scenario for most electric car owners is to charge at home overnight at a cheap off-peak rate, say 7p per kWh.
If you recharge on the go, perhaps at motorway charging stations, the cost could be around 30p per kWh.
Here is a table showing the total annual cost of charging an average electric vehicle, such as a Nissan Leaf, for five different annual kilometers. If you have solar panels in your home, you can reduce these costs even more.
We also show what effect solar panels and battery storage have on your charging costs. If you are smart with
How Much Does It Cost To Charge An Electric Car?
The Renault Zoe is one of the most popular electric vehicles in the UK. The 2018 model has a 41 kWh battery.
Imagine coming home after work at the end of the day and the battery is almost completely dead.
Plug the Zoe into a 7kW home charger and you’re in for a well-earned cup of tea.
Home electric vehicle charging stations go by many different names, and you may also hear them called wall boxes, charging stations and EVSEs (electric vehicle power equipment).
Explained: How Much Does It Cost To Charge An Electric Car?
In other words, regardless of the time of day, you still pay 14p if you use 1 kWh of electricity.
Since your Renault Zoe is more or less at 0% charge, and you want to have 100% from the morning, you need to put 41 kWh in the battery.
41 kWh of electricity will cost you £5.74. Where did this figure come from? Multiply your electricity bill by 14p by the number of kWh you need – 41 kWh – and you get £5.74 (14p x 41).
This formula works for any electric vehicle. Just calculate how many kWh you need to put into your battery to reach 100% charge, then multiply that number by the rate you pay for your electricity.
Alternative Fuels Data Center: Developing Infrastructure To Charge Electric Vehicles
Going from 0% to 100% charge on the Zoe will take about 6 hours of charging with a 7kW charger. For an explanation of how to calculate the loading time, read our practical guide.
For example, if you are an Economy 7 customer, you are likely to have a peak fare of say 15p and an off-peak fare of around 7p. How much does it cost to charge an electric car with Economy 7?
The off-peak is usually from midnight to 7am. This is good news for electric vehicle owners. Charge your electric car after midnight and you’ll pay just 7p per unit.
Here is the math for a Renault Zoe with an empty 41 kWh battery. 41kWh in a 7p car battery costs £2.87. Wow, that’s cheap!
Tesla Charging Costs: What You Need To Know
And since it takes about 6 hours to charge the Zoe from 0% to 100% on a 7kW home charger, you can fit those 6 hours into the 7 hour slot between midnight and 7am. Bingo – smaller bills.
Obviously you don’t want to be up at midnight and plug the car in at 12. Cars have a handy timer and you can program the car to start charging when you want.
Many of these new electricity contracts are called “smart tariffs”. Often you will have more than two different rates, depending on the time of day.
To be able to use a smart rate, your electricity supplier will install a smart meter for you free of charge. For more details on smart tariffs and smart meters, read our Smart Meter Tariffs page.
How Much Does It Cost To Charge An Electric Car?
To calculate how much it costs to charge your EV on a smart rate, do the same calculations as above.
Here is an example. It takes 6 hours to charge your Renault Zoe from 0% to 100% with a 7kW charger. Imagine charging your car from 00:30 (midnight) to 6:30 in the morning.
So those 4 hours of charging at the very low cost of 5p/kWh cost less than 2 hours of charging at the higher rate of 14p/kWh.
The total cost of charging the car for these 6 hours, in two different periods, is therefore £3.36 (£1.40 plus £1.96).
What It Costs To Charge An Electric Vehicle
If you have a solar panel on your roof, you can generate free electricity from the sun. That’s right – free. There are no fees 5p, 7p, 8p, 11p, 14p, 15p, 18p to pay. Your cost with solar panels is 0 pence.
So the question is: how can I put 0p solar power in my electric car? There are two ways:
In both cases – whether with solar panels only or solar panels with a battery tank – you can charge your car with free solar electricity.
However, it is worth noting that solar panels may not be able to charge your electric car by themselves. Car batteries can be very large.
Cost Of Charging An Electric Car — Electric Vehicle Savings
Most electric vehicle owners therefore combine low-cost solar PV panels during peak hours to immediately reduce the cost of electric driving.
The sun is shining and your solar panels are producing 3 kW of energy (if you don’t know how many kWh is in a kWh, read the terminology page).
Your beautiful new Hyundai Kona Electric is connected to a 7kW charger in the garage wall. Suppose that some electrical appliances in your house are switched on (lights, computers, refrigerators, freezers, etc.) and consume a total of 1 kW.
In this case, 1 kW of your 3 kW of solar energy meets the needs of your domestic appliances. 2 kW remain. That 2 kW will then go to charging your electric car.
Cars: Is Charging Cheaper Than Gas?
Since your EV charging wall point is rated at 7kW, 2kW is needed from the solar panel system, but then an additional 5kW is needed. This additional 5 kW is required by the national grid.
During that one hour interval, a 7 kW car charger puts 7 kWh into the car (7 kW x 1 hour = 7 kWh).
2 kW of the 7 kW power comes from the solar panels. As a percentage, this is 29% (2 kW divided by 7 kW x 100).
29% of 7 kWh is 2 kWh. Solar electricity costs you 0 pence. So, those 2 kWh of solar electricity will cost you absolutely nothing.
Tata Nexon Ev Running Cost Is Below 1 Re/km
The remaining 5 kWh needed from the national grid for car charging from 13:00 to 14:00 is paid according to your agreed electricity rate. Let’s say that the price from 13:00 to 14:00 on the weekend is 13:00. 5 kWh will therefore cost you 65 pence (5 kWh x 13 pence).
In short, in the above situation, charging your electric car for an hour on a Saturday afternoon will cost you 65p, if you have solar panels.
In the above example, if you have two solar panels and a battery storage, instead of importing that 5 kWh from the grid, you can take it from the battery storage.
Your home battery will use 5 kWh in the car. How much would it cost? It depends on how the kWh got into the home battery in the first place.
How Much Does It Cost To Charge An Electric Car? Running Costs
If your home battery is charged with solar panels, then that 5 kWh costs nothing. That 1 hour of charging your car from 1pm to 2pm would cost a total of 0 to 0p from the solar panels plus another 0p from the battery (which contains free and stored solar electricity).
If, on the other hand, your storage battery was charged with off-peak electricity that cost say 7p per unit, then that 5kWh would cost 35p (5kWh x 5p).
If you are on the road and stop to charge your electric vehicle at a gas station on the highway, it will cost you more to charge your car than at home.
At home you can pay 14 pence per kWh, but at public charging stations the price is often around 30 pence per kWh.
How Long Does It Take To Charge An Electric Car?
Generally, the price is double what you would pay at home, using the 14p rate.
But if you’re used to charging your electric car at night for just 7p, then public charging will usually cost more than four times what you pay at home.
If you have a Tesla Model 3, Model X, or Model S, you usually use Tesla’s Supercharger network. Prices vary depending on the Tesla car you have and when you bought it – see our dedicated Supercharger page for more information. Update (February 28, 2022): With more electric vehicles on the road in 2022 than in 2017, with big changes in energy prices, we’ve updated this guide for 2022 with new vehicles and updated power and
Cost to charge an electric car, average cost to recharge an electric car, the cost to charge an electric car, average price to charge electric car, average price to charge an electric car, average time to charge an electric car, average cost to charge electric car at home, average electric car charge time, average cost of electric car charge, what is average cost to charge electric car, average cost electric car charge, what is the average cost to charge an electric car