Where Can I Charge my Electric Car

The Rundown

With sales increasing year after year for electric cars and a 19% industry growth in electric cars expected annually, their infrastructure is becoming more and more important. Plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) are the top dogs in the industry and are becoming increasingly more popular. As the name describes, a plug-in hybrid needs to charge in the same manner an electric vehicle does. Both have electric motors and ranges, but the plug-in hybrid has a significantly reduced electric range, due to their smaller battery size. Although it has a reduced range, it makes up for it by being able to efficiently switch over to its gas engine and drive for many more miles as a regular hybrid. Electric vehicles have no gas engine and increased electric battery range but unfortunately charging takes a long time. This makes it so these cars might not be the best road trip cars just yet. However, since battery range becomes longer, knowing where to charge your plug-in hybrid or EV becomes quite important. There are a few different places to charge your electric vehicle and that is what we are going to address today. We are going to discuss where you can charge your electric car and the costs associated with charging your car in these locations. Making it that much easier for you to find charging locations and knowing exactly how much lighter you can expect your wallet to be afterwards.

Electric Vehicles

Before you stress about where to find your nearest charging station and how much it will cost you, it’s very straightforward and simple. Your best bet is getting an app; there are many apps out there, some apps are for specific brands and require subscription fees, others cover all stations and provide real time information such as if there is an issue at the station or if all of the ports are full. First off, let's cover free charging. Yes! There are public charging stations that offer free charging. Although they are few and far between, there may be an option available near you. Many worksites offer free charging while you work. If this is the case, you would definitely know - charging stations are bright and shiny. The only issue here is that work charging stations are reported to fill up very fast and they may not always have enough spots for all the vehicles that need charging. Some large shopping centers also front the buck for your vehicle and offer free charging for electric vehicles. Occasionally, dealerships will offer free charging on site, but this is not the best option as dealerships often use their ports for their vehicles and are not located in the best places. Again, not many public stations are free and, before long, there probably won’t be many left.

While there are public stations that charge, we cannot give an exact dollar amount you will be paying for these as it varies from station to station and state to state. Charging is often paid by the minute. We do know that the average electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid owner pays around 15 cents per kWh for charging in their own home, you can expect marginally more for charging at public stations. Public stations are often located in large shopping centers, office buildings, and even on the side of the highway at some large truck stops. Again, the good news is that there is an app for that. Additionally, your vehicle may be able to direct you to charging stations as most plug-in vehicles have this functionality. If that is not the case, your phone can easily find charging stations with prices right on any maps app you prefer.

Finally, there is home charging. Quite often the easiest and most reliable form of charging there is, not only that it is cheaper than charging at a public station. Again, most Americans can expect to pay around 15 cents per kWh for their charging. If you want an exact number of what you can expect to pay, look up how much kWh it takes to charge your vehicle, then take your last electricity bill and total the kWh and then divide by what you paid. This will give you an idea of how much you already pay per kWh. For those of you with solar panels, you can be especially happy with the result.

Summary

In essence, there are two places you can charge your plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles: publicly or at home. At public stations, there are the occasional sites that offer free charging, but more often than not, you can expect to pay more for public charging than what you would at home. In your house, charging will be simpler and save more than if you were to charge your vehicle at a public station. Charging your electric vehicle is actually much more simple than you think, because guess what, “there’s an app for that.” If you have more questions about charging your electric vehicle and how much that may cost you locally, please do not hesitate to call for more information.