By Jackson Long
Electric vehicle uptake is at a record number as the fuel crisis threatens to worsen and hit Aussie pockets harder than ever before.
But one of the big things said about EVs is that they are cheaper, but is that really true?
There are cheaper Chinese cars entering the market, fewer parts to break and replace, and even tax incentives making EVs cheaper across the board. But the one thing everyone wonders about is charging costs.
There are different kinds of charging options.
Here is a breakdown:
- Granny charger (standard power point): 2.5-3kW
- Home wall charger: 7-11kW
- Public AC charger: same as wall
- DC fast charger: 50kW+, the most common public chargers
Public chargers cost the most, at around $0.70 per kWh, while home charging can cost anywhere from $0.08 to $0.29 per kWh.
Doing the maths using a BYD Sealion 7 as the placeholder EV, the average cost per km when only charging at home is about $0.05, while it costs about $0.12 when only charging at public chargers.
Comparing this to petrol and diesel cars shows us the difference.
A Toyota Prado costs about $0.16 per km at around $1.90 per litre for diesel.
A Toyota RAV4 costs about $0.10 per km at $1.75 per litre for petrol.
A Ford Ranger costs about $0.13 per km at $1.90 per litre for diesel.
A Toyota Corolla costs about $0.08 per km at $1.75 per litre for petrol.
I crunched the numbers on my own charging habits.
I do too much public charging, and that adds up.
My average cost using the listed range of my Cupra Born is $0.09, which I could easily bring down with more charging at home.
Average cost: $21.85
Average time: 40 minutes and 40 seconds
Average cost per kWh: $0.586
So is it cheaper? Those numbers make it seem so.
Is it worth buying one right now? Probably not.
But if you were considering going electric in the next few years, then maybe now is the time.
Featured image: The cost of running an EV adds up for prospective drivers. Photo: Chuq/CC/Wikimedia Commons