Chevy, We Have a Problem - Retail Electricity is EXPENSIVE

Yesterday I wrote about my experience to date with my new Chevy Volt.  One of the reasons we selected a Volt was the ability to use gas when a charger wasn't around or we didn't have time to charge the car.  I argued that a Leaf could make 90% of our trips in one charge.  The Tesla is just a smidge out of our budget now since we need a new roof and want to add solar at the same time.

My wife won the argument with this simple rebuttal, she said "Ok, so I get finished at 11 pm at Fox Studios and then have to go find a charger because for some reason I am four miles short of the battery needed to make it home.  Do you want me to find a charger at midnight and stand next to the car for 45 minutes?"

We got a Volt.

In my post yesterday, I didn't really explain to much about the three gallons of gas I used so far.  The reality is I only needed to use one of them.  I could have charged up at Blink or chargepoint quite easily instead of using the other two gallons.  So why didn't I just plug in?

The answer is in my wallet and is simple economics.  At my house I pay .13 or .16 per kWh.  At A chargepoint station after paying $25 per year membership, I can charge for Free, $1.00 per hour or .25 kWh.  Each station is different and you have to look at an app to see which each station does.  Some chargepoint stations are only 120V 12A also.

The Blink stations I have seen are all $2.00 per hour for non members and $1.00 for members.

Since I used dollars per mile yesterday, I will use that method today.  Using gas, I am getting 10 miles per dollar and electricity at home I get 13.8 miles per dollar.  If I hit tier 4 at .32 per kWh, I might be at exactly break even.  For now the savings is well worth plugging in.  When I go solar my savings should be greater.

At a public Blink or Chargepoint station using the better 220V 30A plug, the Volt is limited in its charging capacity.  I got 8 Miles added after an hour, so how does that work out in miles per dollar?

8 miles for $2.00 for non members is only 4 miles per dollar, making gas 60% more cost effective.
8 miles for $1.00 for members is 8 miles per dollar, making gas 20% more cost effective
4 miles for $1.00 for members on a 120V 12A station makes gas 60% more cost effective.
4 kWh for $1.00 for members at Chargepoint was nearly 14 miles on my range meter,  making electricity almost 30% more cost effective than gas.  This is very close to the dollars spent at home. and the .25 per kWh chargers are the ones I look for.

So as a member for $1.00 you might get 4 miles, you might get 8 miles or you might get 14 miles with a Volt.  For the $30 per year at Blink and $25 per year for Chargepoint, it is more cost effective to drive on gas then it is to pay for electricity.

Now, that said, I did find several FREE Chargepoint Chargers for members and even a few at civic locations for anyone. WallyPark at LAX is offering FREE charging if you valet park. That is just enough to get me to Valet.  If WallyPark LAX starts charging for plugging in, then I'll go back to self park and use gasoline to get home.

Unless I find free Blink chargers anywhere, I am not sure I will pay the $30.00 for Blink next year.

Thankfully several studios my wife and I work at allow free charging as well.  For now Disneyland is looking the other way if you find a wall plug in the Mickey and Friends garage and plug in.  I only live 10 miles away so if I stay at least two hours, I can top off.  Looking at my credit card bill this arrangement is definitely in Disney's favor.

Like most electric car owners I have already met and talked too, I don't think I should get a free ride or free electricity.  Plugging in and charging up just needs to be cost effective to keep the trend growing.  Since a Leaf and a Tesla have faster charging capability, hourly rates might be more effective for them.  Volts tend to charge a little slower, making the free or .25 per kWh stations the only way to save money.

Popular Mechanics magazine stated that a Leaf at .38 per kWh was only .026 per mile in energy costs.  I don't know how that works out, but they claim it does.  This means a Leaf charges at a rate to get 38 miles of range added in an hour while the Volt is only getting 8?  Is the Volt charger that slow, or did I get bad charging stations?

Any Leaf or Tesla Owners want to pipe in on how much range you get with a 1 hour charge at a level 2 station.  For that matter any Volt drivers getting more than 8 miles per hour when plugged in at a public station?