EV home charging programs

[the pickle]

I live in Minnesota and am having my L2 charger installed tomorrow. My power company (Xcel) has an EV charging program for off-peak charging discounts. I was curious about what others thoughts are on these rates and how they compare to others. Here is the plan:

Without this plan, energy is $0.13/kWh for reference.

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[bshaw]

I do not think it's ever a good idea to rent the charger if there is a way to get the off-peak rates by using your own equipment.
Electricity prices vary greatly based on where you live, so asking for a comparison won't be much help.

Get a NEMA 14-50 outlet installed in a location near where you park and research your own charger options on this forum or "State of Charge" YouTube channel.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

That’s a really good rate for off-peak charging. My EV plan (DTE Energy in Michigan) is 11¢ if I charge off-peak (11pm to 9am weekdays or anytime on weekends) but it is otherwise about 24¢/kwh

Without the plan I’d be paying a little over 16¢ for off-peak and closer to 21¢ on-peak.

To get the plan I had to have a 2nd electric meter and service panel installed which can only be used for EV charging.

 

[the pickle]

I do not think it's ever a good idea to rent the charger if there is a way to get the off-peak rates by using your own equipment.
Electricity prices vary greatly based on where you live, so asking for a comparison won't be much help.

Get a NEMA 14-50 outlet installed in a location near where you park and research your own charger options on this forum or "State of Charge" YouTube channel.

At some point I'll probably buy my own charger and bring the program cost down to $6.73 a month. I'm currently renting my home and new to this whole thing so figured to start I'll just rent the charger.

 

[JLee]

It all depends on how much you drive monthly. The differences between $0.13 and $0.038 is $0.09. Monthly cost of $16.63 divided by $0.09 is about 184.77 KW. Use 185 KW multiply by 3 miles per KW, it’s about 554 miles that you would drive just to break even by signing up the monthly plan. If you drive more than that, then it’s worth it.

 

[HuntingPudel]

At some point I'll probably buy my own charger and bring the program cost down to $6.73 a month. I'm currently renting my home and new to this whole thing so figured to start I'll just rent the charger.

A charger is super-easy to remove and take with you, regardless of whether it’s hard-wired or connected to a 6-50 it 14-50 outlet. Just food for thought. ??

 

[AKgrampy]

Something to consider is the required duration of the plan. I would certainly look into it as purchase and installation can easily run over $1,000 and can approach $2,000. At $16.63 per month you may be getting a bargain especially when the energy savings are also factored in along with the time value of money.

 

[RickMachE]

It's simple math to figure out what makes the most sense. Depends how much you drive.

Let's assume you drive 500 miles a month.

500 / 3 miles per kWh = 167kW / .9 (for 10% loss) = 185kW.

185 x .13 = $24.05

Or

185 x .038 + $16.63 = $23.66.

About the same cost, but you didn't have to buy a charger.

 

[the pickle]

A charger is super-easy to remove and take with you, regardless of whether it’s hard-wired or connected to a 6-50 it 14-50 outlet. Just food for thought. ??

Looks like they have a rent to own option involving paying off the remainder of the cost to lower the monthly down to that $6.73 so I will absolutely take advantage of that. Plus they also will have someone uninstall it and reinstall it at my new place as a part of the program!

It's simple math to figure out what makes the most sense. Depends how much you drive.

Let's assume you drive 500 miles a month.

500 / 3 miles per kWh = 167kW / .9 (for 10% loss) = 185kW.

185 x .13 = $24.05

Or

185 x .038 + $16.63 = $23.66.

About the same cost, but you didn't have to buy a charger.

I'm putting on around 800 miles a month so that adds even more to the gap. I'm also only using my mobile charger in a 120v outlet right now so it's super slow. Need that L2.

I don't miss my 16 mpg Ram 1500 Hemi at all. lol

 

[HuntingPudel]

<SNIP>
I don't miss my 16 mpg Ram 1500 Hemi at all. lol

LOL I still drive my ‘72 Blazer on occasion. I can make it get below 3mpg in 4 Low. ??

 

[dabois89]

I live in Minnesota and am having my L2 charger installed tomorrow. My power company (Xcel) has an EV charging program for off-peak charging discounts. I was curious about what others thoughts are on these rates and how they compare to others. Here is the plan:

Without this plan, energy is $0.13/kWh for reference.

Here in Maine we have the technology rate where you pay 37 up front and each KWh is .0507 cents i end up saving 15 bucks a month with this plan. A time of use rate would be a wash because i have people home during the day.

 

[Deezul]

I am in Georgia. I bought my charger from Georgia Power and got a $200 instant rebate versus buying from another vendor. I signed up for their EV rate plan. Super Off Peak is 11pm-7pm, I pay 1 cent/kWh. Off peak is 7am-2pm and 7pm-11pm, which is 7 cents/kWh. On-peak is 2pm-7pm weekdays, and it's 20 cents/kWh. I also have shifted running my appliances overnight or before 2pm unless I have to. With an Escpae PHEV and the MME, I still have lowered my electric bill from when I just had a Fusion PHEV and didn't have the EV rate plan. I'm locked in for one year, but I'll stay at the plan. My MME will only charge during Super Off-Peak, and the Escape PHEV only charges during Off-Peak. I'll run on gas before charging the Escape during On-Peak, and I plug the MME in if the SOC is 70% or below so it will be fully charged in the morning.

 

[curtisfinney]

Best rate from Xcel is for you to buy/rent your charger from them. If you get a charger from someone else, it won’t qualify for their program- even if it’s the same charger.

I built a new garage and they led me down the path of time if day for my entire garage and I ended up buying my own ChargePoint. I could have gotten a better rate if only I had purchased/rented my ChargePoint charger from them and then my entire garage wouldn’t have a higher rate during the day on weekdays- not a huge deal, but still disappointing. I also recommend direct wire if you want a little more amps in those rare cases you want to charge faster.

 

[the pickle]

Best rate from Xcel is for you to buy/rent your charger from them. If you get a charger from someone else, it won’t qualify for their program- even if it’s the same charger.

I built a new garage and they led me down the path of time if day for my entire garage and I ended up buying my own ChargePoint. I could have gotten a better rate if only I had purchased/rented my ChargePoint charger from them and then my entire garage wouldn’t have a higher rate during the day on weekdays- not a huge deal, but still disappointing. I also recommend direct wire if you want a little more amps in those rare cases you want to charge faster.

installed and ready to go as of this morning!

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