Are California public EV charging costlier than filling at the gas pump?

As grid electricity prices spike, charging costs for electric vehicles are heading through the roof.

Though electric vehicle adoption has never been higher, many now wonder if EV charging prices will start to slow that trend, as people realize how much more they’re paying than they would at the gas pump.

Moreover, as electric utilities continue raising prices, this expensive trend could only continue.

According to a recent report on The Energy Show, the EV charging infrastructure system has been “rigged” by electric utilities to ensure that they make the largest profit from the electric vehicle trend.  While considerable research has been conducted on the cost of an electric vehicle and the impact of that trend on the grid – customer costs are not being taken into consideration.  This includes a recent report published by Stanford, which contained fascinating information, but did not include the impact on the amount the consumers themselves are paying.

The Energy Show report provided a breakdown of the amount Californian drivers are paying per 1,000 miles when they must recharge their electric vehicles or drive their conventional internal combustion engine cars.

• Host company recharging at work or at the mall, etc. – $221 per month
• Public high speed electric vehicle recharging: $153 per month
• Recharging an electric vehicle at home: $80 per month
• Recharging using home solar at night: $18 per month
• Fueling up a car with gas at $3.50 per gallon (price recorded pre-COVID): $140 a month
  

Gas prices have been rising as well, but EV charging at public stations can be notably higher.

According to AAA’s average gas price report, the average price Americans are paying to fuel up is $3.922 at the (regular) gas pump. This is slightly higher than the above mentioned figure and notably lower than the average in California, which is $6.24 per gallon as of October 12, 2022 figures.

While the figures reported don’t quite stand up in California at the latest gas prices, this might not be the case for long, as grid electricity costs rise faster than those at the pump. While EV charging can still be cheaper than filling up at a gas pump – yes, even in California – it depends on the choices made for recharging the vehicle, as some are considerably more expensive for consumers than others.

When are employers and places of business going to stop offering free charging for electric vehicles?

There is no definitive answer, but it seems likely that this trend will eventually come to an end. Charging for electric vehicles is becoming increasingly expensive, and as grid prices continue to rise, companies may find it harder and harder to justify offering free charging.

That said, there are a few factors that could slow or prevent this from happening. For one, electric vehicle adoption rates are still growing, so businesses may be hesitant to remove the perk until it becomes less popular. Additionally, many companies see offering free charging as a way to attract new customers and differentiate themselves from the competition.

Ultimately, it’s likely that at some point businesses will begin charging for electric vehicle charging just like they do with other services.

Article Summary…

-Electric vehicle adoption has never been higher, but some are concerned that the cost of EV charging may start to slow that trend
-According to a recent report, customer costs are not being taken into consideration when it comes to the cost of electric vehicles
-This includes a recent report published by Stanford, which contained fascinating information, but did not include the impact on the amount the consumers themselves are paying
-The cost of fueling up a car with gas is $3.50 per gallon on average over the United States.
-Electric Vehicle recharging at public stations can be notably higher, costing $153 per month
-Recharging at home costs $80 per month
-Charging an electric vehicle can also be more expensive than filling up a traditional car with gasoline, depending on how the charging is done