How much will electricity cost to charge my Tesla?

One of the most common questions when considering moving to an Electric Car is how much will the electricity cost. Of course, this depends on a number of factors, including where you live, how much you drive and your driving style.

The short answer is your savings on buying gasoline will more than make up for the electricity bill.

The long answer requires a little bit more information.

How much do you drive?

While there are other factors that can use up battery power (such as Sentry Mode or Cabin Overheat protection), the biggest factor on your electricity usage will be based on how far you drive in a month. Keep it simple. If you don’t have actual numbers multiply your daily round-trip commute by a the number of workdays in a typical month. The US national average is about 1000 miles1600 kilometers per month.

How efficiently do you drive?

Your efficiency is a measure of how much energy you use per mile driven. It varies based on your driving style, tires, weather patterns, etc. If you already own a Tesla, you can get your historical efficiency value on the display (under “Trips” in the main menu). If not, a typical Model 3 or Y uses 270 Wh/mi165 Wh/km and the Model S and X are closer to 320 Wh/mi200 Wh/km.

How much does electricity cost in your area?

Check your local utility company to see how much you are charged per KWh. Depending on your location and provider, it usually ranges between 5 and 20 cents. If you have “Time of Use” or TOU billing available, use the overnight or off-peak cost, since you will probably schedule your car to charge when it is cheapest. The US national average is 10.54 cents per kWh.

Your typical electricity bill

Based on this information, your typical energy bill will increase by about $ per month.

By comparison, a typical gasoline powered car will get about 25mpg10 l/100km, and current gas prices vary based on location, but average at $4.80 per gallon$1.50 per litre. Driving mileskilometers would cost you $ per month in gasoline in a typical month.