{"id":7399,"date":"2026-04-16T18:15:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/?p=7399"},"modified":"2026-04-16T18:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:40:13","slug":"charging-an-ev-in-2026-feels-like-a-rip-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autonocion.com\/us\/charging-an-ev-in-2026-feels-like-a-rip-off\/","title":{"rendered":"EV Charging Used to Be Free. Then It Was Cheaper Than Gas. Now Some Fast Chargers Cost More Per Mile Than a Gas Pump"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With gas prices surging, EVs may start to look appealing to a huge number of Americans. Especially when you look at the spec sheets and see figures like \u201c80 MPGe,\u201d which seem vastly more efficient than even the best performing hybrids<\/a> on the market. Unfortunately, things aren\u2019t that simple. Especially if you intend to rely on \u201cfast charging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recently had a Lucid Gravity on loan, and I hit the point where I had to charge it. Seeing this as a great opportunity to test out the vehicle\u2019s fast-charging capabilities, I rolled up to a local Level-3 Charger and plugged in. Going from 10-80% charge, about 250 miles of range in this case, cost me $55.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admittedly, the rate per kWh was displayed on the charger, so I could have done the math. But thinking this was a little steep, I looked into things further. Places like Reddit<\/a> are awash with complaints that charging an EV, something often seen as a \u201ccheaper option,\u201d is now \u201cmore expensive than gas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they would be correct in certain cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lucid Gravity was actually a pretty good deal. Last year, I was seemingly plugging in a Mustang Mach-E<\/a> every 200 miles and getting hit with a $45-50 bill. For reference, that\u2019s about half the range of a standard gas tank, which still doesn\u2019t cost $100 to brim at today\u2019s uncomfortable prices. So how bad is it overall? And how can you run an EV cheaply in 2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wasn’t EV charging free at one point?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Historically, one of the main selling points of an EV was its low running costs. Yes, you were often paying a $20,000 or so premium over an equivalent ICE vehicle, but you would theoretically make that back and then some with cheaper running costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many providers even threw free charging in as a perk. Some of Tesla\u2019s early adopters snagged a Model S with \u201cfree charging for life,\u201d and as far as I\u2019m aware, Tesla is still honoring that deal. Other companies, like Lucid and Mercedes, had deals with charging providers like Electrify America, offering one or more years of \u201cfree charging\u201d with an EV purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, even back then, \u201cpaid\u201d charging wasn\u2019t exactly cheap. At $0.30 per kWh on average, it was arguably better than gas, especially when gas would shoot up to $4 per gallon. It\u2019s certainly better than the way things are now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Level 3 charging is the main problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Level 3 charging isn\u2019t the only way to do things, but I would argue it\u2019s core to EV practicality for many people. A Level 3 charger can get you back to 80% in under 30 minutes on most vehicles. But it\u2019s also the most expensive way to do things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the low-end, Level 3 charging costs around $0.45 per kWh. However, at the other end of the scale, you\u2019ll be paying around $0.65 per kWh of charge. That higher end of the scale tends to apply in states like California, where EVs are popular, and in places like highway rest stops, where fast EV charging is actually needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put those numbers into perspective, an average ICE vehicle gets around 25 mpg in 2026. So even with gas prices soaring, you\u2019re traveling around 25 miles for $4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average EV gets about 3.5 miles per kWh.If you find an EV charger at the lower end of the pricing scale, you can get 25 miles for around $3.21 worth of electricity. However, if you\u2019re charging at a station that\u2019s charging $0.65 per kWh, that 25 miles is costing you $4.64. So Level 3 EV chargers can cost more than a gas pump, even when gas prices are high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make matters worse, a lot of the cost is tied to \u201cpeak\u201d and \u201coff-peak\u201d hours. It\u2019s basically surge pricing, when there\u2019s more demand on the electricity grid, prices go up to compensate. This varies by location but can boost costs by $0.15 to $0.20 per kWh in most places, and even send total costs north of $1 per kWh in some locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we look at this the same way we compared EV charging to the equivalent gas prices, it\u2019s basically like a gas station jacking up prices by 70 cents per gallon in the middle of the day because more people are fueling up at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pricing does vary by provider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n