How much does it cost to charge an electric car at a public charging station?
By Stephen Corby · 05 Dec 2024
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at a public charging station in Australia? The entirely wonderful news is that the answer starts at a very reasonable “nothing” because there are some free charging stations out there.Much like service stations, with their highly combustible and holiday-dependent fuel prices, however, how much it costs to charge your EV at a public charging station will vary based on the supplier, the cost they are charging per kilowatt and the size of your car’s battery.If we base our answer on the average EV battery capacity of 60kWh and the mid-range charger price of around 40c/kWh, the average price to charge an EV would be $24, while the maximum price could be pushing $50.Keep in mind, of course, that that’s the cost for filling an entire battery from empty to 100 per cent, which you will never do, because running your EV completely flat is not great for your car, and even worse for you, because you’ll be stranded, and you can’t put a hose onto a nearby car and suck out volts with your mouth.Of course, once we take into account the widely different size of EV batteries - from a Fiat 500e with a 42kWh battery to a Porsche Taycan with 105kWh - and the speed and power of public chargers, which vary from 7.0kW to 350kW plus the pricing of public chargers, which range from that lovely free number to as much as 85c per kWh, you can see that calculating an accurate average is a task akin to juggling chainsaws on ketamine. Albeit slightly less dangerous.The other new wrinkle that EVs throw up that makes the price of charging them so different to filling a car with fuel is that the faster you’re filling up, the more it costs.Much like the “convenience” stores attached to service stations, and main streets everywhere, you’re paying for the convenience here, and this is a case where time really is money.What you probably really want to know, up front, is whether charging an EV at a public charging station is cheaper or more expensive than filling up a car with fuel at a petrol station.Considering the very cheapest price you can charge your electric car for is “free”, the answer is yes. Even if you use the most expensive ultra fast 350kW DC chargers, the price is still going to be around 20 per cent cheaper than filling a comparable vehicle with petrol, according to the EV Council.The other thing you’re probably very keen to hear is where can I find one of these free public charging stations? The good news is they do exist, the bad news is that they are all Tesla ones - or Tesla Destination Chargers, to be exact, which charge at a relatively modest 22kW but are free for Tesla owners (and sometimes for other EVs as well, it’s worth plugging into one to check).As of February 2024, there were 668 Tesla Destination Chargers around Australia, and more than 40,000 worldwide.Then we have the independent company JOLT’s free 7.0kWh of DC charging every day (15-20 minutes of charging, or roughly 50km of range) and the limited power (12-14kWh) free (albeit limited) charging stations found in council areas in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. We can expect, or hope, to see more of these in the future.Until recently, the NRMA was also offering free fast DC charging at more than 100 locations, but it brought in a charge for those in September, 2023.The NRMA is rolling its Fast (up to 150kW) and Ultra-Fast chargers on highways around the country and it is currently charging 54 cents per kilowatt hour for the Fast ones or 59 cents per kWh for the Ultra Fast, which offer 175kW charging.So, let’s use a Tesla Model 3 Long Range/Tesla Model Y as our standard size of battery from this point on, as they share a 75kWh battery and are two of the most popular EVs on our roads.For our typical Tesla, then, charging from 30 per cent full to 100 per cent would cost around $30 at an NRMA charger.Being a Tesla owner, of course, you could also avail yourself of the Tesla network of Superchargers, which offer between 100 and 120kW charging, and cost between 64 and 81c per kWh, depending on variables including membership fees, and whether you’re charging a Tesla or a non-Tesla.So again, that’s between $33 and $43 to go from 30 per cent to 100 per cent on a Tesla Model 3 Long Range or Tesla Model Y battery.Other providers of fast charging of between 100 and 120kW include Chargefox (45c to 60c per kWh), AmpCharge (at some Ampol service stations, between 60 and 69c) and Exploren (prices change by location).There are also DC chargers offering 25 to 50kW, 75kW, 150kW, 200 to 250kW and 'Ultra Rapid' charges at more than 350kW and prices range widely, from 15c per kWh to 85c.It’s important to remember that most people - more than 80 per cent, according to research - will do most of their EV charging at home, and another 80 per cent of EV purchasers have solar panels on their house, meaning they can, in theory, charge their vehicles for free.But there are more than 3700 public EV charging stations in Australia, and 100 per cent of EV owners will, at some point, have to use a public charging station.This inevitability leaves EV owners questioning whether a gas-guzzler would financially suit them better, but to compress a lengthy debate into a concise point; you’re better off with an EV.As for the physical process of charging an EV at a public charging spot, it’s almost identical to that of traditional refuelling. Approach the charging station gently with no sudden movements, plug your vehicle in, and retreat backwards whilst maintaining eye contact with the charger at all times.Unlike a fuel bowser, however, you can then walk off and have a coffee, or write a short novel, while waiting for the process to finish.