Switched from level 1 charging at home to public DC fast charging 6 months ago

I used to just plug into a standard outlet overnight and get maybe 40 miles of range by morning. Now I hit a 150kW charger near work twice a week and pay $8 each time, but I'm saving about 30 bucks a month on my electric bill. Anyone else make the jump and notice their battery degrading faster with the rapid charging?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_williams1mo ago

Hold on, I gotta disagree with you here. That $8 fee twice a week is actually way more than you're saving on your electric bill, unless you live in some place with crazy high rates. Running a level 1 charger at home costs most people like $30-$40 a month for 800 miles, so you're spending $64 on fast charging and only saving $30 on your bill. That's a net loss, not a win. Plus, yeah, fast charging every time is worse for the battery, but the degradation is tiny, like maybe 5% over a few years, not something you'd notice in 6 months.

paul_morgan26d ago

Ha! So the math is backwards and you're paying extra to save time. Well played, electricity company. Guess we're all just paying for the privilege of watching our batteries die slightly faster. For $64 a month I could buy a lot of gas station coffee and still have change. But hey, at least you're saving 20 minutes per charge. That's like 40 minutes a week of your life back. Worth it if you value your time more than your money I guess.

victor_adams951mo ago

Wait, is that $8 fee per session or per hour? Cause some places charge per hour and it adds up way different if you're only there for 20 mins vs a full hour.