{ "slug": "ev-charging-cost-per-mile", "title": "EV Charging Cost Per Mile Calculator", "heading": "EV Charging Cost Per Mile Calculator", "category": "financial", "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-charging-cost-per-mile", "summary": "What you're really paying per mile to charge your EV.", "description": "Converts your electricity rate and vehicle's efficiency (miles per kWh, printed on the window sticker and in most EV trip computers) into a real cost-per-mile figure, then compares home charging against a public DC fast-charging rate so you can see the spread. Charging losses (AC-to-DC conversion, battery management overhead) typically run 10-15% for Level 2 home charging and are built in as a default. This is the number that actually matters for a fuel-cost comparison against a gas car — not the EPA MPGe label, which most drivers misread.", "formula": "Cost/mile = electricity rate ÷ (efficiency in mi/kWh × (1 − charging loss)).", "dateModified": "2026-09-30", "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=ev-charging-cost-per-mile", "inputs": [ { "id": "efficiency", "label": "Vehicle efficiency", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 3.5, "unit": "mi/kWh", "min": 1, "max": 6 }, { "id": "homeRate", "label": "Home electricity rate", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 0.15, "unit": "$/kWh", "min": 0.02, "max": 0.6 }, { "id": "dcfcRate", "label": "Public DC fast charge rate", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 0.42, "unit": "$/kWh", "min": 0.05, "max": 1 }, { "id": "chargingLoss", "label": "Charging loss (home L2)", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 12, "unit": "%", "min": 0, "max": 30 }, { "id": "monthlyMiles", "label": "Miles driven per month", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 1000, "unit": null, "min": 0, "max": null }, { "id": "dcfcShare", "label": "Share of miles from DC fast charging", "kind": "number", "hint": null, "default": 15, "unit": "%", "min": 0, "max": 100 } ], "outputs": [ { "id": "blendedCostMile", "label": "Blended cost per mile", "format": "decimal", "hint": null, "primary": true }, { "id": "homeCostMile", "label": "Home charging cost per mile", "format": "decimal", "hint": null, "primary": false }, { "id": "dcfcCostMile", "label": "DC fast charging cost per mile", "format": "decimal", "hint": null, "primary": false }, { "id": "monthlyCost", "label": "Estimated monthly charging cost", "format": "currency", "hint": null, "primary": false } ], "worked_example": { "inputs": [ "Vehicle efficiency: 3.5 mi/kWh", "Home electricity rate: 0.15 $/kWh", "Public DC fast charge rate: 0.42 $/kWh", "Charging loss (home L2): 12 %", "Miles driven per month: 1000", "Share of miles from DC fast charging: 15 %" ], "outputs": [ "Blended cost per mile: 0.059", "Home charging cost per mile: 0.049", "DC fast charging cost per mile: 0.12", "Estimated monthly charging cost: $59" ] }, "how_to": { "title": "How to use this", "steps": [ "Enter vehicle efficiency (mi/kWh).", "Enter home electricity rate ($/kWh).", "Enter public dc fast charge rate ($/kWh).", "Enter charging loss (home l2) (%).", "Enter miles driven per month.", "Enter share of miles from dc fast charging (%).", "Read your blended cost per mile 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": { "efficiency": 2.1, "homeRate": 0.09, "dcfcRate": 0.252, "chargingLoss": 7, "monthlyMiles": 600, "dcfcShare": 10 } }, { "name": "Typical", "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.", "values": { "efficiency": 3.5, "homeRate": 0.15, "dcfcRate": 0.42, "chargingLoss": 12, "monthlyMiles": 1000, "dcfcShare": 15 } }, { "name": "Ambitious", "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?", "values": { "efficiency": 5.6000000000000005, "homeRate": 0.24, "dcfcRate": 0.672, "chargingLoss": 19, "monthlyMiles": 1600, "dcfcShare": 25 } } ], "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": "Why is public fast charging so much more expensive?", "a": "Networks like Electrify America and EVgo price per-kWh to cover demand charges from the utility (fast chargers can pull 150-350kW instantaneously), site lease, and equipment amortization, plus a margin. Home charging at overnight off-peak rates can be one-quarter the per-kWh cost of DC fast charging in many markets." }, { "q": "How do I find my car's real-world mi/kWh?", "a": "Check the trip computer's lifetime average, not the window-sticker EPA number, which is measured under ideal conditions. Highway driving at 75mph, cold weather, and heavy accessory use (heat, AC) can cut efficiency 20-30% below the EPA rating." }, { "q": "Does charging loss really matter that much?", "a": "At 10-15% loss on Level 2 home charging, it adds roughly that same percentage to your effective cost per mile since you're paying for the electricity that goes into the wall, not just what reaches the battery. DC fast charging has its own losses baked into the pricing already, so this input only applies to the home-rate side." }, { "q": "How does this compare to a gas car?", "a": "Use the EV vs Gas Total Cost calculator to compare directly — but as a rule of thumb, an EV at 3.5 mi/kWh on a 15-cent home rate runs about 4.3 cents/mile, versus a 30mpg gas car at $3.50/gallon running about 11.7 cents/mile, before maintenance differences." } ], "related": [ "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-vs-gas-total-cost", "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/home-charger-payback", "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/time-of-use-shifting" ], "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "citation": "RevenueLab — EV Charging Cost Per Mile Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-charging-cost-per-mile)" }