Is Home Charging Really Required to Own an EV with Current Gas Prices?
I was talking to a buddy today about the price he's paying for gas and the price I'm paying for electrons. The common argument that "the only way an EV makes sense is if you have home/work charging" is breaking down because of the stupidly high cost of gas.
My buddy lives in a condo and just bought a 2026 Toyota Camry hybrid. That car has a 13-gallon gas tank. To fill his tank costs him roughly $60/week (13 x $4.59/gallon). His Camry gets 53MPG. His cost per mile is $0.09.
I have home charging (and solar), but for the sake of comparison, we looked at costs as if I didn't have them. I have a small-battery Nissan Ariya (63 kWh). I have an Electrify America membership that makes my price $ 0.42/kWh, so filling my battery costs me $26.42. My Ariya gets 101MPGe. My cost per mile in this scenario is $0.11.
That's a $0.02 difference in cost per mile. Once the average price of gas crests $5, I'm pretty sure the economics will flip and make a ton more sense for everyone, whether they can charge at home or not.