How much does it cost to charge an electric car? How long does it take?
The cost of charging an electric vehicle is less than filling cars than run on gas. We explain how much it costs to charge an EV and how long it takes.
The purchase and use of electric vehicles (EVs) is on the rise in the United States - with 918,500 sales during 2022 according to Statista. One of the benefits of EVs, Consumer Reports notes, is the cost of charging an electric vehicle is almost always cheaper than fueling a gas-powered car. So let’s take a look at how much it costs to charge an electric vehicle and how long it takes.
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How much does it cost to charge an electric car? How long does it take?
The cost of charging an electric vehicle depends on the type of car and where in the country it is located, as well as whether it is charged at a commercial station or at home.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
According to the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, an EV’s fuel efficiency can be measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) per 100 miles.
To calculate the cost per mile of an EV, you must know the cost of electricity (in dollars per kWh) and the efficiency of the vehicle (how much electricity is used to travel 100 miles). If electricity costs ¢10.7 per kWh and the vehicle consumes 27 kWh to drive 100 miles, the cost per mile is about $0.03.
If electricity costs ¢10.7 per kilowatt-hour, charging an electric vehicle with a range of 200 miles (assuming the 54 kWh battery is fully discharged) will cost about $6 to get a full charge.
The national average cost of electricity is 10 cents per kWh, but prices vary from location to location. The average cost to charge an EV on a commercial charger, from nearly empty to nearly full, is between $10 and $30.
How long does it take to charge an electric car?
The time it takes to charge an electric car can be as little as 30 minutes or more than 12 hours. This depends on the size of the battery and the speed of the charging point. A typical electric car (60kWh battery) takes just under 8 hours to charge, from a flat to full battery, with a 7kW charging point.
Some electric cars can add up to 100 miles of range in less than 35 minutes with a 50kW fast charger.