Anyone have an EV charging at home? How much does your electric bill go up?

Lots of variables in there so what somebody in California pays vs somebody in Texas isn't going to compare...

[evcompare.io]

Start there?

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Good Luck!
Jamie Dresser
Other World Computing

My parents had no discernible increase in their power bill having an EV for four years. My Leaf has a 24 kW battery. Assume is at 0% when I charge, which it never is. Then just figure out how much it costs for that much power. Then divide that amount of money by 80 miles to figure out the true cost per mile.

Of course I charge for free at Publix most times or any of the numerous other public chargers around me that are free. Summer DC chargers and will charge the battery full and free in less than 20 minutes. About 80% of the time I am not paying anything for electricity.

Oh, and yes, you can set it to charge only at night when the power costs are lower.

It’s very economical. Also factoring less maintenance. A lot less maintenance.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 09:14AM by p8712.

Short answer: maybe $30/month

It's not difficult to calculate but there are some variables that can yield wildly different answer depending on when and where you charge, how much you drive, etc. If you make some assumptions and generalizations you can get a ballpark estimate.

My Chevy Volt (2013) has a 16.5kWh battery, but it will only let me use about 10-11kWh. The vehicle offers a range of around 40miles on electric only. That means a full charge, from empty to 100% requires about 11-12 kWh due to losses due to resistance in the wires, heat, etc.

The average person drives about 30miles per day though, so I'm only using about 10kWh/day. That keeps the maths simple.

The US average energy price is $.13/kWh

10 kWh/day * 5days/week * $.13/kWh = $6.50/week to charge my vehicle.

$6.50/week * 4 weeks/month = $26/month

A high end Tesla will have a 100kWh battery, less expensive vehicles might have a 30kWh battery, but you'll never charge it from completely empty, just like you never pull into a gas station with an empty tank...unless you're pushing the vehicle. Even with a 100kWh battery, you'll likely still only drive 30miles/day and use 10kWh/day, so it's still about $26/month. If your electricity costs more/less you can calculate the difference. If you drive more/less daily you can calculate the difference.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 09:23AM by ztirffritz.

Depends upon how big the EV battery is, how often you need to recharge, and most importantly how much your rates are.

In GA my rate is about 6 cents a kwh. i think i figured out that it cost me about $1.76 to charge my Volt from empty. I'm on budget billing; after a few months of Volt charging my bill adjusted up $12. Considering I used to spend $150 a month on gas I was doing an electric happy dance.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

Somewhere around $20 a month and I pretty much only charge at home. That's for a 66 kWh battery.

Chevy Bolt....hasn't caught fire yet.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

There’s over 100 free chargers in my area. One is less than a mile away from me. I would advise downloading the PlugShare app and looking around your area for free chargers. Even if you run to the grocery store for five minutes or 30 minutes or leave your car plugged in public for a couple hours, you can definitely recoup a lot of free money.

Most DC chargers here are free from the power company.

I keep a standard three prong charger in the car at all times, too. You can always guerrilla charge if you have to, or plug-in at a trusted friends house.

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p8712
There’s over 100 free chargers in my area. One is less than a mile away from me. I would advise downloading the PlugShare app and looking around your area for free chargers.

yesterday I went to see the Van Gogh exhibit and instead of paying $10 for parking I parked at the nearest MARTA transit station a mile away and walked. I was using Apple Maps and as I pulled into the station parking area I saw EV Charging come up on the map. Whoa! What? I fired up Plugshare and sure enough that station has free EV Charging. Woo hoo! turns out MARTA has 10 charging areas at 6 different stations. Nice little discovery. Spent about two hours at the exhibit and had a full battery on the way home.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

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graylocks

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p8712
There’s over 100 free chargers in my area. One is less than a mile away from me. I would advise downloading the PlugShare app and looking around your area for free chargers.

yesterday I went to see the Van Gogh exhibit and instead of paying $10 for parking I parked at the nearest MARTA transit station a mile away and walked. I was using Apple Maps and as I pulled into the station parking area I saw EV Charging come up on the map. Whoa! What? I fired up Plugshare and sure enough that station has free EV Charging. Woo hoo! turns out MARTA has 10 charging areas at 6 different stations. Nice little discovery. Spent about two hours at the exhibit and had a full battery on the way home.

Wow! I'm glad Apple has gotten in on mapping. They should build it into the OS. I've done it your way many time - park and walk a small distance. I mean, if they were giving out free gas, most people would do the same.

Try the chargepoint, greeenlots, electrify America, and ev GO apps for more chargers. Plugshare is good, but not a comprehensive list. Chargepoint is good since it can notify you when a busy charger is free.

How do I get Apple maps to show charging locations? There are many charging locations nearby, but I've never seen any show up on Apple Maps.

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ztirffritz
How do I get Apple maps to show charging locations? There are many charging locations nearby, but I've never seen any show up on Apple Maps.

i just checked settings and there's nothing in Apple Maps for electric. There are in Google Maps though I don't know if charging locations magically appear when you're using a map.

As I said, I just saw it marked as a site like any other building as I pulled into the parking lot. If I hadn't been glancing at the map at that moment I might have missed it.

Edit: i just did a search in Apple Maps and you can ask for EV charging stations and then filter by the plug you use. that's somewhat helpful.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 11:37AM by graylocks.

I typed EV chargers into may apple maps search. It showed about 25% of the ones around me , but did indicate if they were Tesla, greenlots, etc, which is nice. It's a handy feature for those that don't use apps.

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p8712
I typed EV chargers into may apple maps search. It showed about 25% of the ones around me , but did indicate if they were Tesla, greenlots, etc, which is nice. It's a handy feature for those that don't use apps.

As best I can tell, Apple Maps only show Tesla chargers and ChargePoint Chargers.

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ztirffritz

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p8712
I typed EV chargers into may apple maps search. It showed about 25% of the ones around me , but did indicate if they were Tesla, greenlots, etc, which is nice. It's a handy feature for those that don't use apps.

As best I can tell, Apple Maps only show Tesla chargers and ChargePoint Chargers.

Nope



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 12:11PM by p8712.

Caveat Emptor - free charging will decline and eventually disappear when a threshold percentage of all cars are EVs, or more likely, when the pushers free providers conclude there are enough addicts users to guarantee they can charge for it.

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DeusxMac
Caveat Emptor - free charging will decline and eventually disappear when a threshold percentage of all cars are EVs, or more likely, when the pushers free providers conclude there are enough addicts users to guarantee they can charge for it.

Duh. There's tons of pay chargers around me as well. Everyone knows free charging will eventually go away. Will still be a while.

As long as there are tax incentives/power company incentives for free charging there will ways be a few free ones around.

Yeah, highly variable price.

Here in Sacramento where SMUD gets over 30 cents per Kw/h in the summer, you could get eaten alive.

In places like Washington state or upstate NY where the power is mostly hydro, and they basically give away electricity, it could be dirt cheap. Even for Bitcoin miners.

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p8712

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ztirffritz

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p8712
I typed EV chargers into may apple maps search. It showed about 25% of the ones around me , but did indicate if they were Tesla, greenlots, etc, which is nice. It's a handy feature for those that don't use apps.

As best I can tell, Apple Maps only show Tesla chargers and ChargePoint Chargers.

Nope

I wonder where they're pulling their data from. Locally Apple Maps is missing several Blink stations, Greenlots, as well as a whole bunch of Chargepoint stations, though it does show a few Chargepoint.

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FWIW.... My late mother installed a solar panel array on the house. My sister and her husband use that to charge their Leaf and Volt. It's paid for itself. I'm still long range planning on something similar.

My solar is sold back to Pacific Power. It just offsets my grid consumption. My electric bill went from around $80to $5.

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Here in Sacramento where SMUD gets over 30 cents per Kw/h in the summer, you could get eaten alive.

.30 x 24 =$7.20 to go 80 miles (closer to 90). That's on par with a hybird's cost.

And again, virtually no maintenance.

How many miles do you get on one of those expensive battery packs before it has to be replaced?

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freeradical
How many miles do you get on one of those expensive battery packs before it has to be replaced?

it doesn't quite work like our phones or airpods. at least not for Volts. Cells in the battery pack can fail and may need to be replaced but it's random and not at all tied to mileage. a recent informal poll in my Facebook Volt group revealed many in excess of 150K. the most famous is Sparkie with 400K and counting. In many ways the jury is till out as volts have only been around for 11 years.

my 2013 is currently at 101K.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 02:13PM by graylocks.

We have all paid DCFC chargers in our area. EVGo and Electrify 'Merica stations end up running $7-10 to charge. We have one ChargePoint which also costs the same PLUS a $4.95 connection fee. No thanks! That is something to watch for with Charge Point.

There is a free level 2 charger only at the CHP office, which is not convenient to much of anything, and at the ski resort formerly known as Squaw Valley. 4 stations for 12000 visitors on a busy day...

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

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freeradical
Yeah, highly variable price.

Here in Sacramento where SMUD gets over 30 cents per Kw/h in the summer, you could get eaten alive.

That's completely unrealistic. You're talking about peak rates that occur on sunny weekday afternoons. EVs are set up to automatically charge almost exclusively at night when rates are far lower. Only a dummy or someone who spends money like water would do their regular EV charging during peak periods.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

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davester
That's completely unrealistic. You're talking about peak rates that occur on sunny weekday afternoons. EVs are set up to automatically charge almost exclusively at night when rates are far lower. Only a dummy or someone who spends money like water would do their regular EV charging during peak periods.

Not exclusively. it doesn't make sense for all EVs to be set up that way. I don't bother here in GA. the way the program is set up rates are considerably higher for usage during the day. i'm home during the day with the AC on in summer. no, i don't want those higher rates in effect during the day. So it depends on where you live, how you live, and how the use program is structured.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

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freeradical
How many miles do you get on one of those expensive battery packs before it has to be replaced?

A lot more than a gasoline engine!

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freeradical
How many miles do you get on one of those expensive battery packs before it has to be replaced?

What make and model of car?

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p8712
There’s over 100 free chargers in my area. One is less than a mile away from me. I would advise downloading the PlugShare app and looking around your area for free chargers. Even if you run to the grocery store for five minutes or 30 minutes or leave your car plugged in public for a couple hours, you can definitely recoup a lot of free money.

Most DC chargers here are free from the power company.

I keep a standard three prong charger in the car at all times, too. You can always guerrilla charge if you have to, or plug-in at a trusted friends house.

What a deal!

Lot of variables for total monthly cost.
How big the battery...
How many times do you need to charge...
Local electric rate....

Too early for me to know my cost, but what I have heard is
a base point of $7-$10 average for a car with a 'Bolt' size battery.
This is based on when you need to charge, like the equivalent of
the Low Fuel Light coming on, to fully charged.
Even with high electric rates that's a heck of a lot cheaper than filling a 16 gallon gas tank.

Mine is less, as I over produce on my solar panels and have a large credit built up with Eversource.
'
Dave

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Welcome to Dave's BBQ!

Many have eaten here....

Few have died

We are in Idaho and didn't notice any difference. Probably drive about 20mi/day. Only have 40k and 6yrs on my electric, and there is no battery degradation as far as range goes, so I'm not worried about the batteries. Our Prius is 2011 and has original batteries, so no worry there either. Of course, maintenance on ICE cars is all free and they never wear out, so...

Yeah, we just spent nearly $1400 for the 120K mileage service (a major service) on our Lexus at the dealer (nothing unusual, just standard stuff). Granted, it’s the dealer, and it’s a Lexus. But the point is none of this would have been required on a Tesla/EV.

The maintenance thing does seem to be a big plus for electric cars since an electric motor is far less complicated than a gas engine.

However, when it comes to road trips, you still can't dismiss the extreme convenience of a gasser.

Whatever the cost you are paying for electricity, it’s still cheaper than gas. And a whole lot more convenient. Our two charging cables sit a few feet from the charge ports on our cars. Takes all of five seconds to plug in.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Tesloop ran a shuttle service in SoCal. They had a small fleet of Model S,X and 3 vehicles racking up more than 17,000/month each. Their vehicles were all near or over 300k miles, some approaching 500k. To be fair, they've had maintenance, but on the whole, I'd say they've held up WAY better than any ICE vehicle would have.

[insideevs.com]

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Samintx, I did a bit of a back-of-the-napkin calculation on how much I was paying for electricity for our Volt compared to $2 a gallon gas in this five year old post:

[forums.macresource.com]

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 06:26PM by Speedy.

FYI, Siri will tell you where the nearest charging station is if you ask. It found one I do not know about one by charge .2.5 miles away from me. Cost is $2.50 for two hours. However, I know that there are at least a half dozen stations that are free closer than that one. Trust but verify and all that

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freeradical
However, when it comes to road trips, you still can't dismiss the extreme convenience of a gasser.

Yes you can, if you have a Tesla. Their charging network (and it’s integration to their in car software) is not only way superior to other charging networks, but removes the “extreme” inconvenience issue, with trips only being 45 minutes longer on average versus an ICE car.

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Carnos Jax
Yes you can, if you have a Tesla. Their charging network (and it’s integration to their in car software) is not only way superior to other charging networks, but removes the “extreme” inconvenience issue, with trips only being 45 minutes longer on average versus an ICE car.

When one travels for a living that 45 minutes matters. Even more so if one's travels takes them to remote areas. That's why I think GM was premature in killing the Volt. It really is the best of both present worlds.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

how much do you spend on gas? divide that by 2.

This is a very, very rough estimate. I know there are some gas guzzlers out there and some gas sipping tiny cars. I was just trying to make math easier.

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graylocks

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Carnos Jax
Yes you can, if you have a Tesla. Their charging network (and it’s integration to their in car software) is not only way superior to other charging networks, but removes the “extreme” inconvenience issue, with trips only being 45 minutes longer on average versus an ICE car.

When one travels for a living that 45 minutes matters. Even more so if one's travels takes them to remote areas. That's why I think GM was premature in killing the Volt. It really is the best of both present worlds.

True, but for the vast majority road trips are only an occasional thing, and so this is what Tesla tailored their solution to.

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graylocks

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Carnos Jax
Yes you can, if you have a Tesla. Their charging network (and it’s integration to their in car software) is not only way superior to other charging networks, but removes the “extreme” inconvenience issue, with trips only being 45 minutes longer on average versus an ICE car.

When one travels for a living that 45 minutes matters. Even more so if one's travels takes them to remote areas. That's why I think GM was premature in killing the Volt. It really is the best of both present worlds.

Fwiw I like the BMW i3. With the range extender it is basically A luxury volt, and can use gas. With the same range as a leaf. Nice car, and relatively cheap used if you don’t mind the small size.

I just like the vaults relatively short range as an electric car. But it seems nice in other respects.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 08:31PM by p8712.

How much does using the AC when it's 105-110 outside degrade the mileage of an electric car?

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freeradical
How much does using the AC when it's 105-110 outside degrade the mileage of an electric car?

quite a bit in my mind in my Volt. 40 miles of range might go down to 30 if it's on high. GA doesn't get quite that hot but i try to use the AC as little as possible. my son hates riding with me. i get a lot of side-eye until i relent and turn it on. low.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 09:14PM by graylocks.

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graylocks

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freeradical
How much does using the AC when it's 105-110 outside degrade the mileage of an electric car?

quite a bit in my mind in my Volt. 40 miles of range might go down to 30 if it's on high. GA doesn't get quite that hot but i try to use the AC as little as possible. my son hates riding with me. i get a lot of side-eye until i relent and turn it on. low.

Same with the Leaf. The energy computer always estimates a loss of about 4-5 miles. It’s usually a bit more than that, but varies. Are usually run the AC until it is cool enough for me, then turn off, rinse and repeat as needed. But that is only six months of the year in Florida. The rest of the time I can leave the AC off and I do not need the heating system usually at all. Plus the leaf has heated seats and heated steering wheel which does not use much power.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 09:19PM by p8712.

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graylocks
When one travels for a living that 45 minutes matters. Even more so if one's travels takes them to remote areas. That's why I think GM was premature in killing the Volt. It really is the best of both present worlds.

True, but I think that's a lot less relevant in a Tesla. I've gone on a number of long road trips up into the mountains in my friend's Tesla. Typically on a long drive we have to charge once for about 20 minutes to actually make it to our destination where we can plug in overnight or the next day to top it up. That's not a whole lot different than stopping at a gas station and using the bathroom and buying some snacks. There's seldom a need on a long drive to have a mid-drive break to do a full charge. That said, since the rollout of charging stations is still early, you do have to plan your once-a-day stop on a long day of driving around where the charging stations are.

This is way different for other EVs. For example, I have a friend with a Chevy Bolt who just moved to Seattle. Due to the lack of fast chargers and relatively slow charging rate, he had to plan overnight stays on the way up to his new place based on his battery capacity and charge rate.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

The responses above regarding air-conditioning use in EV’s should tell you a lot about the seriousness of traditional automobile manufacturers and their EV efforts. Namely that it’s lacking.

Tesla has largely mitigated most of the traditional concerns when it comes to owning and operating an EV. Yet there is nothing that they are doing that is particularly hard, at least from the traditional auto manufacturers perspective. There is no excuse for them not having delivered practical EV’s before Tesla came on the scene, much less even now.They’re all idiots.

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Carnos Jax
The responses above regarding air-conditioning use in EV’s should tell you a lot about the seriousness of traditional automobile manufacturers and their EV efforts. Namely that it’s lacking.

Tesla has largely mitigated most of the traditional concerns when it comes to owning and operating an EV. Yet there is nothing that they are doing that is particularly hard, at least from the traditional auto manufacturers perspective. There is no excuse for them not having delivered practical EV’s before Tesla came on the scene, much less even now.They’re all idiots.

Yes. Why would anyone want to buy a relatively maintenance free car that lasts a long time. Better to have a whole industry of repair and parts and cars needing frequent replacement. not to mention a politically charged fuel source.

Have a look at all the ICE cars are converted to electric. Batteries are still a sticking point in any electric car, but imagine after September 11 had we decided to go all In. Internal combustion engines would not exist except among collectors and museums.

My Tesla Model 3 SR raised my monthly electric bill $60. From $82 to $142. I bought this for my retirement car so I don't have a daily work schedule and I do a lot of unnecessary driving. I was driving from Virginia to Florida twice a month for the last 12 months and putting about 3500 miles a month on the car and found not much difference in gas and electricity. It did add at least 2 hours to my travel time.

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Portsmouth, Va