[Bazinga]

I was wondering how much it would actually cost to charge the Bolt EV based on where I live so here is a rough calculation.

So the Bolt EV runs on a 60 kWh Battery System.

I'll most likely charge it during off peak hours so that at most $0.083 per kWh in the winter on a weekday night.

Assuming I'm charging a fully depleted Bolt EV battery, it'll cost me $4.98 to fully charge it.

Also, I won't be charging it every night since I don't drive more than 2 miles on a work day to the train station. So maybe I'll charge it twice a week and it'll cost me around $40 a month to run the car or less. Maybe even charge it only once a week.

It's going to be dirt cheap for me to drive the Bolt EV and cost way less than my gas bill which is currently around $70 every 2 weeks.

How much do you think it'll cost you?

 

[Roth33d]

It will end up costing me about the same or a bit more. Commutes to and from the office involve a short trip to the train, after work I might have errands to do, same with weekends, then some random long trips.

In the end it'll be cheaper than my monthly coffee bill

 

[igotzzoom]

Let's assume for argument's sake that you top off 50 miles worth of charge per night. Evening TOU rates for my utility are 18¢/KWh. If the Bolt has a 60 KWh battery, and that translates to a 200 mile range, let's assume that's 15 KWh. 15 x 0.18 is $2.70 per night. Assuming you charge four nights a week, that's $10.80. Five nights a week would be $13.50, seven nights a week is $18.90. So monthly cost would be $43.20, $54, or $75.60.

I spend about $38 a week on gas in my current car, which pencils out to $152 a month. By my (admittedly imperfect) math, that's at least half the price, or less.

 

[Electric Mike]

I'll have to look into this. I know that Ontario hydro is quite expensive.

 

[volta]

I'm sure a lot of people might end up getting a electricity bill that surprises them, but then they'll realize that they may not have to buy gas anymore but they are still having to pay for fuel.

 

[Zoomit]

My electricity bill sure surprised me after we got the Spark EV and switched to the Time of Use plan offered by SoCal Edison. Our bill went DOWN and we were charging the Spark from almost zero 5 nights a week.

 

[Breezy]

I'll have to look into this. I know that Ontario hydro is quite expensive.

Electricity in Ontario is on the expensive side for Canada (only PEI and Nova Scotia are higher), but it's about average for North America.

I'm on Hydro One and I pay about $0.15/kWh on average to charge my Volt, tax included. If I charged only off-peak, it would be about $0.11/kWh.

 

[Bazinga]

It'll cost you around $6-$7 to fully charge a 200+ mile car during off hours. I think that's a very good deal even if you're living in the expensive side of Canada.

 

[Roth33d]

It'll cost you around $6-$7 to fully charge a 200+ mile car during off hours. I think that's a very good deal even if you're living in the expensive side of Canada.

At times it can cost you nothing since some parkades offer free charging, or will, or should. Malls can benefit from this a lot since it will get some people to go in the mall and buy.

 

[Bazinga]

Haven't seen free ones near me as most of them requires some kind of fee or membership for payment purposes. Probably use those if I'm on a trip but when I'm not traveling, nothing beats home charging during off hours.

 

[LightningBolt]

It's not too much of a savings anyways since charging at home costs so little already. Not worth the trouble of going out of your way to try and locate a free public charger.

 

[Roth33d]

It's not too much of a savings anyways since charging at home costs so little already. Not worth the trouble of going out of your way to try and locate a free public charger.

My point was IF you need something along the way.

 

[Bazinga]

Just go on plugshare.com and check out the list of public and residential share chargers. Bound to be one on your way or at your destination.
Probably cheaper to go to a residential one if you call ahead and ask for the rate. Maybe get charged $2.70-$7 per night according tot he prices we've already posted.

 

[volta]

Power prices are already going up in Ontario, and I suspect that more EVs on the road will mean prices climb even higher over time.

 

[Bazinga]

Power prices can climb higher but it'll still be cheaper than gas. No way will $40 a month last with gas cars.

 

[Roth33d]

My electricity bill sure surprised me after we got the Spark EV and switched to the Time of Use plan offered by SoCal Edison. Our bill went DOWN and we were charging the Spark from almost zero 5 nights a week.

That's impressive and it just goes to show how good this can get.

Getting a timer will best since once those cheaper power rates become available you can set what you need to be charged to do so at those times.

 

[DucRider]

I was wondering how much it would actually cost to charge the Bolt EV based on where I live so here is a rough calculation.
...
I'll most likely charge it during off peak hours so that at most $0.083 per kWh in the winter on a weekday night.

...
Also, I won't be charging it every night since I don't drive more than 2 miles on a work day to the train station. So maybe I'll charge it twice a week and it'll cost me around $40 a month to run the car or less. Maybe even charge it only once a week.

It's going to be dirt cheap for me to drive the Bolt EV and cost way less than my gas bill which is currently around $70 every 2 weeks.

I think you can safely use 4 miles/kWh as a rough estimate for year round efficiency (this takes into account charging losses/inefficiencies, heater use during the winter, etc.).
If you drive 1000 miles/month and charge @ $.10 per/kWh, you're looking at $25 a month.

We've had out Fit EV for over 2 years and spend about $20-$25 per month to do ~10K miles a year. Incremental cost of electricity is about $.12 from our power company.

 

[Bazinga]

$25 a month for charging my car would be even better and not surprising. Was reading a study on this and most people who use their cars to commute to work drives fewer than 40 miles each way and the average commute distance is 13.6 miles. At that rate, you can go without charging for two weeks.

 

[DucRider]

The other half that people tend to overlook is the lack of maintenance required on EV's.
For the Fit EV, the schedule in the manual is:
7500 miles: Rotate Tires
15000 miles: Rotate Tires, Change Cabin Air Filter
Repeat
At 3 years they specify changing the brake fluid.

At those service intervals, they do the normal inspect hoses, fluid levels, etc.

I would fully expect the Bolt to be very similar.

 

[Roth33d]

That is quite impressive since with the traditional gasoline engine car at the 7500 mile mark you'd have to change oil and inspect more things.

Then there's that higher mileage range where you have to inspect even more, brakes start to become something to think about. Big cost savings alone with just maintenance and servicing.