{
  "slug": "ev-charging-cost",
  "title": "EV Charging Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "EV Charging Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-charging-cost",
  "summary": "Cost to charge at home versus public fast charging.",
  "description": "Charging losses are real: expect 8–12% of the energy you pay for never to reach the battery, more in cold weather and on AC home chargers.",
  "formula": "Cost = Battery kWh × (% added) ÷ efficiency × price per kWh.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=ev-charging-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "battery",
      "label": "Battery capacity (kWh)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 75,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 5,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "from",
      "label": "Charge from (%)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 20,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "to",
      "label": "Charge to (%)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 80,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "home",
      "label": "Home rate per kWh",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.16,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "publicRate",
      "label": "Public DC fast rate per kWh",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.48,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "loss",
      "label": "Charging losses",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 10,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 30
    },
    {
      "id": "efficiency",
      "label": "Miles per kWh",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.5,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0.5,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "homeCost",
      "label": "Cost to charge at home",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "publicCost",
      "label": "Cost at a public fast charger",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "added",
      "label": "Energy added to the battery (kWh)",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "drawn",
      "label": "Energy drawn from the grid (kWh)",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "miles",
      "label": "Range added (miles)",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "homePerMile",
      "label": "Home charging cost per mile",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Battery capacity (kWh): 75",
      "Charge from (%): 20",
      "Charge to (%): 80",
      "Home rate per kWh: 0.16 $",
      "Public DC fast rate per kWh: 0.48 $",
      "Charging losses: 10 %",
      "Miles per kWh: 3.5"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Cost to charge at home: $8.00",
      "Cost at a public fast charger: $24.00",
      "Energy added to the battery (kWh): 45",
      "Energy drawn from the grid (kWh): 50",
      "Range added (miles): 157.5",
      "Home charging cost per mile: $0.051"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter battery capacity (kwh).",
      "Enter charge from (%).",
      "Enter charge to (%).",
      "Enter home rate per kwh ($).",
      "Enter public dc fast rate per kwh ($).",
      "Enter charging losses (%).",
      "Enter miles per kwh.",
      "Read your cost to charge at home on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "battery": 45,
        "from": 10,
        "to": 50,
        "home": 0.096,
        "publicRate": 0.288,
        "loss": 6,
        "efficiency": 2.1
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "battery": 75,
        "from": 20,
        "to": 80,
        "home": 0.16,
        "publicRate": 0.48,
        "loss": 10,
        "efficiency": 3.5
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "battery": 120,
        "from": 30,
        "to": 100,
        "home": 0.256,
        "publicRate": 0.768,
        "loss": 16,
        "efficiency": 5.6000000000000005
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the ev charging cost calculator work?",
      "a": "Charging losses are real: expect 8–12% of the energy you pay for never to reach the battery, more in cold weather and on AC home chargers. The underlying maths is: Cost = Battery kWh × (% added) ÷ efficiency × price per kWh."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "7 values: battery capacity (kwh), charge from (%), charge to (%), home rate per kwh, public dc fast rate per kwh, charging losses, and miles per kwh. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the cost to charge at home result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-vs-gas",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-per-mile"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — EV Charging Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-charging-cost)"
}