Public Charging Station Cost Comparison Calculator

Compare the total cost of charging your electric vehicle at Level 2 public stations, DC Fast Chargers (DCFC), and home charging to find the most economical option.

Vehicle & Charging Needs

Battery Capacity (kWh) Total usable battery capacity of your EV

Charge From (% SoC) State of charge before charging session

Charge To (% SoC) Target state of charge after session

Public Charging Sessions per Month How many times per month you use public chargers

Level 2 Public Charging (AC)

Level 2 Rate ($/kWh) Per-kWh rate at Level 2 stations (e.g. ChargePoint, Blink)

Level 2 Session Fee ($) Flat fee charged per session (if any)

Level 2 Idle/Parking Fee ($/hr) Hourly fee charged after charging completes

Level 2 Charger Power (kW) Typical Level 2 output power (6.6–19.2 kW)

Idle Hours After Charging (hrs) Hours vehicle sits plugged in after full charge

DC Fast Charging (DCFC)

DCFC Rate ($/kWh or $/min) Per-kWh rate (Tesla Supercharger ~$0.25–$0.50, Electrify America ~$0.43–$0.48)

DCFC Billing Method How the DCFC network bills you

DCFC Session Fee ($) Flat fee per DCFC session (if any)

DCFC Average Power (kW) Average charge rate during session (accounting for taper)

Network Membership Fee ($/month) Monthly subscription fee for discounted rates (e.g. EA Pass+)

Home Charging (Baseline)

Home Electricity Rate ($/kWh) Your utility rate (US avg ~$0.16/kWh)

Charger Efficiency (%) AC-to-DC conversion efficiency (typically 85–95%)

Formulas Used

Energy per Session (battery):
E_battery = Battery Capacity × (SoC_to − SoC_from) / 100

Grid Energy (accounting for losses):
E_grid = E_battery / η where η = charger efficiency (decimal)

Level 2 Cost per Session:
C_L2 = (E_grid × Rate_L2) + Session Fee + (Idle Fee × Idle Hours)

DCFC Cost per Session (per-kWh billing):
C_DCFC = (E_grid × Rate_DCFC) + Session Fee

DCFC Cost per Session (per-minute billing):
C_DCFC = (E_battery / Power_DCFC × 60 min) × Rate_$/min + Session Fee

Charging Time (Level 2):
T_L2 = E_battery / Power_L2 (hours)

Monthly Cost:
Monthly = Cost_{per session} × Sessions/Month + Membership Fee

Effective $/kWh:
Effective Rate = Total Session Cost / E_grid

Cost per Mile:
Cost/Mile = Effective Rate / Vehicle Efficiency (mi/kWh)

Assumptions & References

Default vehicle efficiency assumed at 3.5 miles/kWh for cost-per-mile calculation (EPA average for EVs).
Charger efficiency of 85–95% accounts for AC-to-DC conversion losses in the onboard charger.
DCFC average power accounts for charge curve taper; actual peak power may be higher early in session.
Level 2 public rates: ChargePoint ~$0.30–$0.40/kWh, Blink ~$0.39–$0.79/kWh (2024).
DCFC rates: Tesla Supercharger ~$0.25–$0.50/kWh, Electrify America ~$0.43–$0.48/kWh, EVgo ~$0.29–$0.35/kWh (2024).
US average home electricity rate: $0.16/kWh (EIA, 2024).
Idle/overstay fees are charged by some networks (ChargePoint, Blink) after charging completes to encourage turnover.
Network membership fees (e.g., Electrify America Pass+ at $4/mo) can reduce per-kWh rates significantly.
Costs do not include time value, travel to station, or opportunity costs.
Battery degradation and reduced range over time are not modeled.
Source: U.S. EIA Electric Power Monthly; AFDC Alternative Fuels Station data; network pricing pages (2024).