# Whats it actually cost to charge an electric vehicle.



## Danny (Oct 17, 2012)

Here is a good aticle someone sent me. Any thoughts?

http://www.autotrader.ca/newsfeatur...aign=CA-DSP-DM-EN-CONTENT#Vyq83QpTvmsxrsZo.97


----------



## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

Buddy says at the end of the article you can even have it heat up while charging. My question ... what's the power consumption to keep me warm when it's -30C, or when defrosting, or when clearing freezing rain ... or to keep me cool when it's 35C.


----------



## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

The article says that an owner can charge for free:


> For a start, there are thousands of chargers spread around the country. It takes some effort to find somewhere rural enough that there isn’t one nearby. Most of those chargers are free. So with some planning, patience and luck, you could reduce the yearly fuelling bill to zero. Zip, zilch, nada.
> Read more at http://www.autotrader.ca/newsfeatur...ge-that-electric-vehicle/#qwVx2FsOhyTGUR9k.99


Is this really true? And are the charging stations standardized so that any type of electric car can be charged? And how about the charging rate. How much of a charge could you get at those public charging stations if you don't stay there overnight?

I actually would like to get an EV for around town use, but some of the articles and their comments leave me cold!


----------



## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

I've been thinking about a Nissan Leaf for our next car.

From what I've read...
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/vehicles/electric/charging-electric-vehicle.shtml

On average a typical battery EV will cost less than $300 per year, or about $0.78 per day to charge at night. *1
A typical plug-in hybrid EV will cost about $700 per year, or $1.92 per day for fuel (including gasoline and electricity costs). *2


----------



## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

The $0.78 per day is based on 2013 Hydro rates, at off-peak hour charging only.

There are only 4335 charging stations in all of Canada. Unless you happen to know there is a free charging station near your work, that is not regularly occupied, you should plan on having to charge at home.


----------



## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

The Ontario web site My Own Advisor referenced describes the 3 different levels of charging. I believe most vehicles are designed to use at least 1 & 2, if not all 3.

Unless you live in the BC lower mainland, or Vancouver Island, an all-electric vehicle is likely impractical until they make a break-through in low-temperature battery performance.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

^Not sure why you would say that. Tesla sells lots of cars in cold-weather countries such as Norway.


----------



## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

OhGreatGuru said:


> The Ontario web site My Own Advisor referenced describes the 3 different levels of charging. I believe most vehicles are designed to use at least 1 & 2, if not all 3.
> 
> Unless you live in the BC lower mainland, or Vancouver Island, an all-electric vehicle is likely impractical until they make a break-through in low-temperature battery performance.


This part of one of the above links expands on the level 3 chargers (which are needed for quick charging)



> There are three standards of Level 3:
> 
> CHAdeMO is an Asian standard used by Hyundai, Nissan, Kia and Mitsubishi
> 
> ...


So Tesla can be charged on the other two standards, but can those Asian/Euro EVs be charged on a Supercharger?


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

agent99 said:


> So Tesla can be charged on the other two standards, but can those Asian/Euro EVs be charged on a Supercharger?


No. Supercharger is proprietary, partly because it is mostly included in the cost of purchase, partly because more EVs are not equipped to accept that much current.


----------



## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

andrewf said:


> No. Supercharger is proprietary, partly because it is mostly included in the cost of purchase, partly because more EVs are not equipped to accept that much current.


I assumed that. So if they are included in the 4335 charging stations in Canada, then only Teslas have that number available. Mind you, I don't believe there are very many Supercharger stations in Canada yet.


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

agent99 said:


> I assumed that. So if they are included in the 4335 charging stations in Canada, then only Teslas have that number available. Mind you, I don't believe there are very many Supercharger stations in Canada yet.


https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/findus/list/superchargers/Canada

Looks like 24.

Tesla specifically locates them to discourage daily use. They are intended for people on road trips. They are tweaking rules to discourage daily use by charging for electricity beyond a certain annual allotment.


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

GM has the Chevrolet Volt listed at $38,590 and $14,000 in combined discounts. The price would be $24,000 after discounts.

They claim to get 85 kms on a charge and it takes 4 hours to charge the battery. There is also a small gas motor to operate the generator to charge the battery.

They have a map of charging stations on the website.

http://www.chevrolet.ca/volt-electr...54&gclid=CPm_0PaBwNICFQRYMgod-UIKjQ&gclsrc=ds


----------



## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

sags said:


> GM has the Chevrolet Volt listed at $38,590 and $14,000 in combined discounts. The price would be $24,000 after discounts.
> 
> They claim to get 85 kms on a charge and it takes 4 hours to charge the battery. There is also a small gas motor to operate the generator to charge the battery.
> 
> ...


That car is really a hybrid. Their new EV is the Bolt.http://www.chevrolet.ca/bolt-ev-electric-vehicle.html But, the Volt may be a better choice for many users.


----------



## Curiouscreature (Jan 3, 2016)

This isn't a pure electric, but this is the one I'm considering once it is available in Canada. With the reported range for electric only, should be no issue to go to work and back, and then gas available for the longer trips.

http://www.toyota.com/priusprime/


----------



## GAWd (Dec 15, 2010)

I've had a Volt for few years now. It is a great car. Around 80% of my driving is all electric and if you run out of juice it just switches over to gas seamlessly.
I have a 1st generation Volt so I average around 75km electric range in the warmer month and 45km in the cold months. The newer ones have a bigger battery and more range.
When I first go it I thought I would be using public chargers all the time, but that never happened. I almost always just charge it at home over night when hydro rates are lower. I would estimate that charging it from a dead battery it costs about a $1. 10KWhr at $0.087 per KWhr and a chargers that is ~80% efficient.
Maintenance has been really low too, just oil changes and taking the snow tires on and off so far.

The Volt actually makes a lot of sense with the amount of money the Ontario government is now giving back as rebates. $14,000 which is almost twice what I got. Makes the car cost only a bit more than a Chevy Cruze (when equipped similarly).


----------



## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Curiouscreature said:


> This isn't a pure electric, but this is the one I'm considering once it is available in Canada. With the reported range for electric only, should be no issue to go to work and back, and then gas available for the longer trips.
> 
> http://www.toyota.com/priusprime/


I read a review of this the other day and they said it was using the gas engine even when it shouldn't have been. https://electrek.co/2017/02/27/review-2017-prius-prime/ 
Other reviews didn't seem to have a problem so they might have just gotten a lemon, I don't know.


----------



## internalaudit (Jan 27, 2017)

For Ontario, will the Prius Prime be eligible for the $14k incentive?

It's not available yet so it's not in the list:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/vehicles/electric/electric-vehicle-rebate.shtml#toyota


----------

