How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?

A modern EV (Tesla Model 3, Mustang Mach-E, Chevy Bolt, Hyundai Ioniq 5) uses roughly 0.28-0.32 kWh per mile in mixed driving. Call it 0.3 kWh/mile as a working average. At the US-average rate of 16.5¢/kWh, that's 4.9¢ per mile.

Compare to gasoline: a 30 MPG car at $3.50/gallon costs 11.7¢ per mile. Home charging runs about 58% cheaper per mile than gas at those assumptions. The gap widens when you're on a cheap rate or a TOU off-peak window; it narrows (sometimes flips) in high-rate states at peak-hour charging.

A 75 kWh battery (Model 3 Long Range, Mach-E Standard) fully charged from empty uses about 80 kWh including charging losses (chargers are typically 90-94% efficient). At 16.5¢/kWh that's $13.20 for ~250 miles of range, or 5.3¢/mile after losses.

Battery sizes across common models:

• Chevy Bolt: 65 kWh, ~$11.50 for a full charge at US-average
• Tesla Model 3 LR: 75 kWh, ~$13.20
• Mustang Mach-E ER: 91 kWh, ~$16.00
• Hyundai Ioniq 5: 77 kWh, ~$13.60
• Rivian R1T: 135 kWh, ~$23.75

You rarely charge from 0% to 100% in practice. Most owners top up from 40-80% nightly, which is ~$4-7 per charge at US-average rates.

At 0.3 kWh/mile and 16.5¢/kWh, a weekday commute works out to:

• 20 miles/day: 6 kWh a day, ~$30/month
• 30 miles/day: 9 kWh a day, ~$45/month
• 40 miles/day: 12 kWh a day, ~$59/month
• 60 miles/day: 18 kWh a day, ~$89/month

Those numbers assume charging losses and don't include weekend or errand miles. A realistic full-month total for a household using an EV as its primary car usually lands in the $45-90 a month range at US-average rates.

Plug in your EV's charger wattage (typically 1,400-1,900W for Level 1, 7,000-11,500W for Level 2) and your typical daily charging hours:

An EV is the only appliance in most houses that can fully shift its runtime to the middle of the night without any lifestyle impact. That makes it the ideal candidate for a time-of-use rate plan, where utilities charge more during peak hours (typically 4-9pm) and less off-peak.

The rate spreads are real. In California, PG&E's EV2-A plan charges around 31¢/kWh on-peak and 16¢/kWh off-peak. Schedule charging to run midnight-to-6am and the same full 75 kWh charge drops from $23 to $12. Over a year of daily commuting that's $400-500 in savings just from timing.

In New York, ConEd's EV rate runs ~8¢/kWh overnight against ~30¢ at peak. A 12,000-mile-a-year driver saves roughly $700 against the flat rate.

In Texas, several retail providers offer "free nights" plans that price off-peak hours at zero cents. A moderate-driving household can charge an EV for essentially the grid-fee cost only.

Almost every EV built in the last five years has a scheduled-charging setting in its app or dashboard. Set "start charging at" to the first hour of your utility's off-peak window. A Level 2 charger will typically finish a 40-mile daily top-up in under 2 hours, so there's plenty of runway even in a narrow off-peak window.

If your EV only has a "finish by" setting, work backward from your morning departure time. Some utilities also offer a free app or in-car integration that handles TOU scheduling automatically; ask your utility directly because the options vary by market.

Most residential EV rate plans don't have demand charges, but a few do. A demand charge bills based on the single highest 15-minute power draw in the month, which can penalize Level 2 charging if it stacks on top of AC or cooking. Read the rate sheet, not the marketing page.

A $200-400 annual savings from a well-chosen TOU plan often beats the $500-1,500 cost of a Level 2 charger install. If you're weighing the charger upgrade, the TOU math is usually what tips the payback under two years.

Assume 4-5¢ per mile at US-average rates on a flat plan, 2-3¢ on a good TOU off-peak window, 7-10¢ in high-rate states charging at peak. Gas at $3.50 and 30 MPG is 11.7¢. Home charging comes out ahead in almost every realistic scenario; TOU scheduling is what turns the margin from good to significant.