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Electric Vehicle Chargers Are They Free of Cost ?

Electric Vehicle Chargers Are They Free of Cost

At the majority of charging stations, you must pay to charge your electric vehicle.

Electric vehicle owners often charge their vehicles at home because it uses less energy than “filling up” at public charging stations.

Some shopping centres have free charging stations that provide customers slower Level 2 chargers.

The answer to the question of whether you have to pay to charge your electric car is: It depends.

Electric Vehicle Chargers Are They Free of Cost : Many motorists adore their electric cars for enabling them to travel more sustainably. However, if asked, they would likely mention the second factor that makes them adore totally electric vehicles: They don’t have to pay for gas (read more on that in a bit).

That benefit alone seems like a compelling argument against continuing to use internal combustion engines in conventional vehicles (ICE). However, going green does not always equate to driving for nothing. Continue reading to learn why.

The focus of this article will be battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs), not hybrids, plug-in hybrids, or hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

7 Question Always comes in Electric can Owner

1.What You Need to Charge a Battery for an Electric Car
2. Battery Charge Cost vs. Gas Filling Cost
3.What is the price of electricity where I live?
4.How Strong Is the Battery in My Car?
5.Does My Charging Station Have Enough Power?
6.Does it Cost Money to Charge an Electric Vehicle?
7.Which is Best for You: Electric Car vs. Hybrid vs. Plug-in Hybrid Car?

What You Need to Charge a Battery for an Electric Car

It might seem prudent to pay for the predictable and somewhat affordable cost of electricity rather than regular gasoline to power an automobile. Americans are now more likely than ever to consider and buy EVs due to rising petrol prices.

So the question is: Is buying gasoline more expensive than the cost of charging an electric car battery? It depends, really. Consider a few considerations before determining how much it will cost to fully charge the battery in your electric vehicle.

What is your source of power, for instance? Various power sources charge at various rates (see more on chargers for electric cars in the next section). Additionally, there is a one-time fee for an electrician to instal the correct power outlet if you instal a charger at home, which is where most people charge their devices. That is, unless you have a regular three-pronged outlet close to where you park the electric vehicle and would prefer to utilise it.

The Various Electric Car Chargers Available

Working with the typical 3-prong sockets in your home is a Level 1 charger. It uses a 120 volt regular outlet to charge your car.
Installed outlets that resemble those used for an electric clothes dryer are needed for level 2 chargers, which provide a 240-volt power boost. If you choose this option, an electrician will need to be hired to establish a 40-amp circuit.

Multiply your voltage by the number of amps you intend to use if you need to figure out how much power you can produce. However, splitters are also available, allowing you to use 240-volt outlets without complicated installations.

Public and Tesla Supercharger stations often have the fastest Level 3 charges available commercially. Level 3 chargers, also referred to as “DC fast chargers,” employ direct current at 480 volts as opposed to the lower-level chargers’ alternating current, or AC, configuration seen in most houses.

Installing a Level 3 charger in your home doesn’t make sense due to the high voltage and expense of installing DC. Even though the majority of contemporary EVs feature the software and combination socket that will operate with a DC plug, not all electric vehicles are designed for DC fast charging.

Is Charging My Electric Car Every Night A Good Idea?

Battery Charge Cost vs. Gas Filling Cost
Fortunately for purchasers of electric vehicles, the cost of power is probably less than the cost of filling a gas tank. As of this writing, the national average for normal gas is $3.14 per gallon, according to AAA. In June 2022, the average gas price in the US reached a high of $5.01.

Let’s use a condensed example to compute expected annual expenditures.

Cost of filling up a gas tank for a car with a 15-gallon capacity: This works out to be around $47.10. You can normally travel 375 miles on a tank of gas if your automobile averages 25 mpg. You need to refuel roughly three times each month if you drive 1,100 miles on average each month. Gas will end up costing you $1,695.60 a year.
Pure EV electricity costs: Nationwide, the cost of residential power is approximately 16 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). According to experts, electric vehicles travel 3–4 miles per kWh.

Therefore, if you divide 1,100 miles (conservative miles per kWh) by 3, you will use 367 kWh every month. At 16 cents per kWh, the cost of electricity for your car works out to $58.72 per month or almost $705 per year.

What is the price of electricity where I live?

Estimating costs might be challenging due to the broad regional variations in electricity prices. In the US, the average cost of residential electricity is slightly over 16 cents per kWh.

While residents of states like Idaho, Utah, and Washington are among those with citizens paying less than 12 cents per kWh, Californians pay an average of roughly 27 cents per kWh. Look up the average rate in your state. Additionally, some energy providers give customers discounts for utilising electricity off-peak hours, which significantly reduces the cost per kWh for charging your car.

How Strong Is the Battery in My Car?

You can calculate the time it will take to charge your vehicle and get a better idea of how much it will cost to charge by knowing the battery capacity of your car (measured in kWh) and how much electricity your charger requires.

To determine the sum: The battery capacity of your automobile is divided by the onboard charger’s power rating, and the power loss during charging is increased by 10%.

The maximum charging speed of your car also matters. The amount of energy your battery can accept all at once determines how much it will cost to charge.

Although the cost of commercial electricity is typically a little less than that of residential electricity (13.5 cents per kWh, on average, throughout the nation), your car’s maximum charging rate remains the same.

It isn’t necessarily true that charging your battery at a Level 3 charging station will save you time or money unless your car has a large, powerful, and suitable battery.

Many new car buyers can locate automobiles through Electrify America, EVgo, and ChargePoint public charging stations that come with a free charging period or rebates on home charger installation.

The Chevrolet Bolt, Kia EV6, Porsche Taycan, Volkswagen ID.4, and other EVs offer free charging incentives.

Also Read: Are Electric Vehicle Stocks A Good Investment

Does My Charging Station Have Enough Power?

The maximum charging rate of the station you use will also affect how long it takes to charge. Despite the rising prevalence of Level 3 direct current fast chargers (DCFC), don’t expect to immediately save time and money by charging at these locations.

According to ClipperCreek, Level 3 can restore up to 60%-80% of an electric vehicle’s range in as little as 20 minutes and operates between 200 and 800 direct current volts.

Even while your car can charge more quickly, it will only do so at the highest power rate that the station offers. This can negatively influence charging time and result in you having to pay more.

The dilemma of how to pay for it still remains now that you are aware of the cost of charging your electric vehicle.

If you have a home setup, your monthly electric bill will be used to cover the cost of charging your electric vehicle. When paying at a public charging station, you can either utilise the network’s app or pay as you go by quickly swiping your credit or debit card and paying the set rate,

which is typically expressed as a cost per minute or kWh provided. Prices vary based on the battery’s size, how quickly it collects energy, and how fully charged it is.

To save money, drivers can also purchase annual or monthly memberships. But keep in mind that charging an EV is free. Some companies and businesses offer free EV charging stations, and organisations like PlugShare publish maps of free charging locations around the United States.

Does it Cost Money to Charge an Electric Vehicle?

By doing some research, you can lower the cost of charging your electric vehicle. Finding discounts for at-home charging, particularly those that can assist lower your power cost, is the best approach to save money. Some utilities offer discounts to customers who charge their electric vehicles overnight.

Otherwise, you can try to navigate the maze of free charging stations using websites and apps like ChargeHub with some forward planning. On a road trip, however, you’ll undoubtedly need to pay at some point to charge up.

Several variables, including the charging network you use, your location, the charger’s speed, and the amount of energy you transfer to the vehicle’s battery pack, might affect the fees at public charging stations.

Electric Vehicle Chargers Are They Free of Cost ? | 2023