Updated February 4, 2025
By Rick Cotta
For most folks, an electric vehicle only make sense if:
1. You can charge at home — preferably in a garage — to get back at least as many miles as you typically drive in a day, or …
2. You have easy (and cheap) access to a public charging station, and …
3. For any long trips, you either have a second gas car you can take, or you can rent one. (This is changing, however, as more public charging stations are being made available.)
Regarding #1:
Nearly every electric vehicle comes with a charging cable that plugs into a standard 120-volt 3-prong household outlet. This is referred to as “Level 1” charging, and it brings back about 3-4 miles for every hour the vehicle is plugged in.
You can upgrade to Level 2 charging — which brings back about 10-30 miles for every hour of charge — but that will require you to have a 240-volt power line available. Your house may have 240-volt power for running a clothes dryer or stove, but you’d likely need a dedicated line for charging, and it would have to be run to a location accessible to your vehicle — usually a garage, but perhaps just outside — and that can cost $1000 or more. Then you’ll have to get a Level 2 charging cable, which can add another $200-$700 or so, though some newer electric vehicles come with one.
Regarding #2:
Level 2 is what most public charging stations provide, though it may well be more expensive than charging at home, and it will require leaving your vehicle plugged in for a long time to get back much range — and you may have to wait in line to do it.
Some Level 3 public charging stations are available that can provide much faster charging, but it varies a lot based on both the power of the charger and the capability of your vehicle to absorb it. In many cases, it can bring your battery back to 80% charge or so — however many miles that can get you — in 30-45 minutes.
Regarding #3:
Even many moderately priced EVs offer 250 miles of range or more. But it’s not the range that’s at issue as much as the charging time it takes to get it back.
Because charging on the road usually takes quite a bit of time (particularly if it’s not offered on your direct route), EV drivers often have to think in terms of round-trip mileage. You may have 250 miles of range, but from a practical standpoint, that becomes a 120-mile one-way limit, and even that’s leaving you with only a 10-mile margin of error at the end. This gets particularly tricky in the winter, when using the heat can cut your range by 20-40%.
If you have a 400-mile round trip in a gas car, you might drive 300 miles, fill it up in five minutes, and complete the trip. But if you have an EV, you might drive 200 miles, then have to find a charging station, then have to charge it for 10 hours to get those 200 miles back, and then complete the trip. Even if you can find a Level 3 DC Fast Charge station, you’re still probably looking at a minimal 30-minute charge — and may have to do it twice — and that’s if you don’t have to wait in line.
The point is, due to the recharge time with an EV, you have to think differently about trip length than you do in a gas car.
But that’s today.
More Level 3 charging stations are constantly being built, so the charging-time problem may become less of an issue in the future. However, there’s always the possibility they may become a victim of their own success. As more charging stations go up, more drivers may buy EVs, and that could result in waiting lines. And remember … the person ahead of you isn’t likely going to be done in five minutes as might be the case at a gas station.
The Bottom Line
While EVs probably suit more folks than consider them, they’re certainly not for everyone. But that’s now. In time, more public chargers may make EVs more practical for more people, and the vehicles themselves are constantly being improved. So if you’re not sure, wait … or consider an alternative.
The Plug-in Hybrid Alternative
Another possible answer — one that’s feasible for most folks now — is a plug-in hybrid. These have both gas and electric powertrains, and they can run on either. Many allow for 20-40 miles of all-electric driving before automatically switching over to the gas engine, and you can simply fill the fuel tank when it gets low and keep going. This allows you some electric-only driving while eliminating the whole EV “range anxiety” issue.
You can find a more in-depth description of plug-in hybrids under the “Four Types of Electrified Vehicles” icon on the home page, with more information under the “Plug-in Hybrids: the EV Alternative” icon on the home page.
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