What State is the Cheapest to Charge Your EV?

You can't miss them when they drive by you. That's because they're missing both a radiator and an exhaust pipe. They're also practically silent; only a smooth, quiet whirring. With about 2.5 million on US highways already, electric vehicles (EVs) are more noticeable in every state. That's because today's consumers not only value reducing greenhouse gasses but also know that EVs cost less to own than gasoline fuel vehicles. Not surprisingly, the common concern about owning a Tesla or some other EV is over how much it costs owners to charge the battery in their state.

But unlike filling the tank at a neighborhood gas station, EVs give you more charging options for "filling up". You can charge them at home or at work. You can also use public fast charging stations. However, charging costs vary widely depending on where you live, where you charge, and when you plug in.

To provide all U.S. consumers with a clearer and useful picture about battery charging, energy analysts at TexasElectricityRatings.com researched the cost for charging a Tesla and other EVs at home in all 50 states. They also compared that pricing to estimated costs for fast charging station rates. In this way, consumers may get a deeper insight into what they can expect, what they need to watch out for, and how to save the most when they charge their Tesla EV.

Most Expensive States To Charge Your EV

Highest Estimated Charging Station Rates 50+ cents/kWh	Price per kWh
Hawaii	$0.60
West Virginia	$0.54
Connecticut	$0.53
Arizona	$0.53
Massachusetts	$0.52
Kentucky	$0.52
Rhode Island	$0.51
California	$0.50
Montana	$0.50
Texas	$0.50

Cheapest States To Charge Your EV

LowestEstimated Charging Station Rates Less Than 30 cents/kWh	Price per kWh
Nebraska	$0.17
Mississippi	$0.22
North Dakota	$0.29
Iowa	$0.29

Findings:

The Top Ten Most Expensive States for Charging EVs

Volatile natural gas prices exert a significant effect on electricity rates in states that rely on it to power generators. High demand increases rates, as well. Those states that rely on pipelines to deliver their natural gas supply can also see this effect exaggerated further due to pipeline capacity, costs, and outages.

State	Why are prices so high?
Hawaii	Petroleum fuels about four-fifths of Hawaii's generators and must be shipped to the islands by tanker.
California	The state must import 90% of its natural gas supply via 7 pipelines. Natural gas fuels most of the state's generators so maintenance and disruption increase those costs.
Rhode Island	New England states* rely mostly on natural gas to fuel generation. Geography and land costs create a bottle neck for the few gas pipelines entering the region. This keeps prices higher.
Connecticut	*
Massachusetts	*
Maine	*
New York	In spite of its hydroelectric and nuclear generator fleet, most of New York's electricity is fueled by natural gas.
New Hampshire	*
Alaska	About 73% of Alaska's electricity comes from natural gas. Alaska has rich reserves in the state but the high costs lie in piping it hundreds of miles to where it's needed.
Vermont	*

The Ten Cheapest States for EV Charging

Energy producing states and as well as those that play central roles as interstate energy hubs tend to have the lowest energy prices. 

State	Why are prices so low?
South Dakota	Renewable energy producer, low demand.
Wyoming	Major coal producer & exporter.
Missouri	Coal importer. Coal is shipped by rail into the state. However, Missouri is home to several major rail hubs.
Washington	Hydroelectric dams provide most of the state's power.
Oklahoma	Major natural gas and wind energy producer;  low demand.
Idaho	Low demand. Renewables now make up 75% of power generated in the state.
Louisiana	Major natural gas producer with large established pipeline network.
Utah	Natural gas producing state.
Nebraska	Coal importer with major rail hubs but also big wind energy producer. Low residential demand but high industrial.
North Dakota	Natural gas producer, major coal producer, wind energy producer; low demand.

Conclusions:

Being able to charge up your Tesla or other EV at home is a key money saver when compared to gasoline powered vehicles or using fast charging public stations:

1. The average cost for the recommended 80% charge on our example came to $9.27 or about 5 times less than filling up the tank on a comparably sized gas powered vehicle.

2. Time of use utility rates for home charging could pose a noticeable effect on utility bills when charging at Level 1. That's because even though you're using less power, it's taking a longer time that could run into higher pricing due to higher demand times. 

57.6 kWh =  1.44 kW per hour (Level 1, 120 VAC); charging time is 40 hours.

57.6 kWh = 9.6 kW per hour (Level 2, 240 VAC); charging time is about 6 hours.

Owners who rely on Level 1 charging will want to watch the clock when charging or seriously consider installing a faster charging Level 2 system.

3. Using a public charging station may be the fastest way to charge but in most states it costs more than twice the amount you will pay for charging at your home.

With the exception of Hawaii, residential electricity rates and public charging rates did not share the same ranking. This suggests the impact public charging stations may face from higher priced power grid requirements to handle their larger power requirements.

4. EV owners in states with deregulated electricity markets may be able to shop for electricity rates that are lower than the average rates cited here, increasing their savings from owning a Tesla or other EV model.

What EV Owners Need to Know About Battery Charging

To begin, it's important to remember that you can't treat your EV's battery like a gas tank. That is, you can't drive until it hits "E". Tesla and other EV batteries are designed to work best as long as they don't go below 20% or above 80%. The reason is that a battery will slow the charging speed as the battery gets close to full in order to prevent damage. This slowing down, however, means that it can take about as long to charge the last 10 percent of an EV battery as the first 80-90 percent. So, if you're on a road trip and pull into a charging station, you might spend 20-30 minutes charging to 80% and then another 20-30 minutes waiting to charge all the way to 100%. And if on the odd chance, the station charges by the minute, that can get really expensive. As a result, it's usually more time and cost efficient to charge the EV battery to 80%.

Battery Chargers: What Are the Differences?

EV batteries are rated in kilowatt hours (kWh) of capacity. The current models of EVs, including Tesla, have charging capacities ranging from 40 kWh to over 200 kWh. Based on both US and EU models, the average EV kWh capacity is roughly about 72 kWh. Assuming an average energy efficiency of three to four miles per kWh, the range works out to about 234.25 miles (377 km).

The key principle EV owners should remember is that faster charging uses high amounts of electricity. There are three different types of charging systems.

Level 1 uses a basic 120 volt AC home outlet (15-20 amps). There's no need for a dedicated circuit in your fuse box. But at about 2 to 3 miles of range per hour of charge, it takes 30-50+ hours to fully charge an EV.

Level 2 uses a 240 volt AC (30- 80 amp) system.  Residential Level 2 chargers require a dedicated 30 - 48 Amp circuit. These  deliver between 7.2 to 11.4 kWh. You can get a 240 volt AC charger for your home to mount in your garage that comes with a heavy duty appliance plug (a NEMA 14-50 or 6-50) that goes into a 240 AC volt outlet, rated up to 40 amps. But for a higher 48+ amps, EV chargers must be hardwired directly to a dedicated circuit breaker in your electric panel. It's best to hire a licensed electrician for this. Convenience easily beats out the cost because charging time is faster: just 3 to 8 hours. 

Level 3 is known as DC fast charging (DCFC). Commercial grade public stations that use 300 to 1000 volt DC fast charging ports that can charge "fill up" your EV battery in 15 to 60 minutes. If you're on a big road trip, find out and plan your route so you can find the best electricity rate to charge your EV. Some public stations, however, still offer 240 VAC. Others base their rates on the amount of time you're charging. Plus, charging stations can charge more at different times of day due to time of use electricity rates.

Methodology

States are ranked from most to least expensive according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's most recent data (February 2024) for average residential electricity rates. 

Level 1 and level 2 EV battery charging at home were compared with EIA average residential rates for February, 2024. In order to cover the most EV models, including Tesla, researchers chose an average capacity 72 kWh battery as an example. A recommended 80% level charge, therefore requires a charge of 57.6 kWh. The charging cost therefore comes from multiplying the EIA's average residential rate by 57.6 kWh.

Data use to estimate Level Three charging costs came from Stable Auto Corporation's January  2024 EV Charging Pricing Trends study as well as pricing information from several charging station map services. Researchers took the estimated average prices for DCFC charging and multiplied that by 57.6 kWh to calculate the cost for that charging system. 

Costs to Charge Your EV By State

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If you use these insights, please link credit to www.texaselectricityratings.com, as they are responsible for compiling and analyzing the data. 

Sources:

Electric Power Monthly: Table 5.6.A. Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State, February 2024 and 2023

https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a

EV Charging at Home

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/articles/ev-charging-home

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity-stations

Electricity Cost for Electric Vehicle Fast Charging (2019 NREL Study) 

https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy19osti/72326.pdf

Stable Auto Corporation: Jan. 2024  Lv. 3 stations

https://stable.auto/insights/electric-vehicle-charger-price-by-state