Charger Beware: The Byzantine, Inconsistent Terms of EV Charging

By Edward A. Sanchez — May 30, 2024

I have discussed and blogged about EV charging in various capacities many times on The Watt Car. Sometimes about positive experiences, sometimes about negative experiences. This latest example is an example of “buyer beware.” Functionally, the charger worked fine. It’s just when I unplugged and looked at the session receipt, I was in for a bit of a shock. I was charged a per-kWh rate of $0.75.

Simply put, that’s the highest per-kWh rate I’ve ever paid for power, excluding parking rates, for either Level 2 AC charging or DC fast charging. To be clear, no laws were broken. As it’s currently structured nationally in the U.S., site owners can apply any rules, terms, and conditions to EV chargers. Recipients of NEVI funding have a few more strings attached, but let’s table that conversation for the moment. Aside from the extortionate power rate, additional terms were $10 per hour past two hours. I knew that much going in, so I kept looking at my watch, and told my friend I would need to unplug my car to avoid that additional gut-punch.

While charging EVs isn’t expensive, sometimes it’s more expensive than you thought it would be.

I went on social media to share my story and heard similar tales from others, with even higher kWh rates, as well as even more onerous restrictions and fees on parking and EV charging. To put it simply, there is really no rhyme or reason to EV charging right now. You are at the mercy of geography, charging point availability, site owners’ terms, and the power rate in the area.

Truthfully, I can’t get mad at anyone other than myself for not looking closer at the rate and terms before I plugged in. If I had been willing to drive a few miles away, I could have gotten a per-kWh rate less than half of what I paid.

This experience was a valuable learning experience to check the charging apps for the rate before plugging in. The typical per-kWh rate in my area for Level 2 is between $0.31-$0.41. I would have been fine with that rate. The rate I paid is high even for DC Fast charging, as I paid $0.56/kWh a week ago at an Electrify America DC fast charging station, and grumbled about how expensive that was.

I’m not one to usually advocate for heavy-handed government regulation on industry. But there needs to be some standardization and transparency in charging. Most gas stations have their fuel prices prominently displayed on marquees for all to see. Drivers can make an informed decision to stop there, or go a block down the street where it’s a few cents cheaper. Charging point rates are often buried in the fine print of the charging apps, or displayed on the charging station. In this case, the display of the station was scratched and yellowed, making it hard to see the rate. Yes, I could have looked more carefully on the app, but I almost feel like public charging stations should have a prominent (2-3 inches tall) digital marquee like gas stations with the per kWh rate. It could even be dynamic (based on time-of-day, or utility rate changes), but make it clearly visible, and let people make their decision based on the price.

(Image courtesy ChargePoint)