How much does it cost to charge an EV per km?

Cost per km = energy used per km (battery kWh ÷ range) plus ~10% charging loss, multiplied by your blended electricity rate. If you charge 70% at home, 10% at work and 20% at public fast chargers, the blended rate decides the cost. In most markets an EV costs roughly one-third to one-half of a petrol car per km.

How long does it take to charge an EV at home?

Charge time = battery energy ÷ charger power, with ~10% charging loss. A 40 kWh battery at a 7.2 kW home wallbox takes about 6 hours for a full charge and roughly 3.5 hours for a 20% to 80% charge. At 3.7 kW it takes about 12 hours; at 11 kW about 4 hours.

How many solar panels do I need to charge an EV?

Divide your EV's daily travel energy by your peak sun hours. A typical EV driving 40 km/day with a 40 kWh battery needs about 5.3 kWh/day, so at 4.5 peak sun hours you need roughly 1.2 kWp of solar, or 3 panels of 550W. The calculator sizes this automatically.

How is EV payback and break-even distance calculated?

Payback years = (EV price − fuel car price) ÷ yearly savings, where yearly savings include lower energy costs plus lower maintenance. Break-even distance = price difference ÷ savings per km. For example, a $14,000 price premium with $0.03/km savings means about 467,000 km before the EV's running-cost advantage repays the premium.

What is total cost of ownership (TCO) for an EV?

TCO adds the purchase price premium to yearly energy or fuel costs plus yearly maintenance over a chosen ownership period (default 8 years). EVs typically have lower maintenance because there are no oil changes, engine belts or exhaust systems, so the TCO crossover often arrives years before fuel savings alone suggest.

How much can an EV save you?

EV vs Petrol / Diesel

Enter your daily driving, your electricity rate, and your petrol price. You'll instantly see the cost per km, how much you save every day, how long the EV takes to charge, and whether solar can make it free to run.

EV / km

$0.00

Petrol / km

$0.00

You Save / day

$0.00

Detailed options

Your Electric Vehicle

Battery, range, prices & maintenance

Battery (kWh)

Range (km)

Daily Driving (km)

EV Price ($)

EV Maintenance / Year ($)

Ownership Period (years)

Fuel Vehicle

The petrol / diesel car you're comparing against

Fuel Price ($/L)

Mileage (km/L)

Fuel Unit

Fuel Car Price ($)

Fuel Car Maintenance / Year ($)

Electricity & Charging

Rates, charging mix and your home charger

Home Rate ($/kWh)

Work Rate ($/kWh)

Public Rate ($/kWh)

Charging Mix (% of charging done at each place)

Home / Work / Public. The split is auto-normalized if it doesn't add to 100%.

Home Charger Power

Charging Loss

Battery Warranty Cycles

Solar for Charging (Optional)

Size solar for your EV and compare charger fit

Peak Sun Hours

Solar System Cost ($)

Enter the full installed cost of the solar array you'd add for EV charging. Set 0 if you charge from the grid only.

Suggest Me Solar

Size solar to run your EV free

Recommended

EV saves $0.00/km

Blended home / work / public charging

Cost per km

$0.00 vs $0.00

Save / Month

Save / Year

Payback (with maint.)

Break-even km

EV Cost / Month

Fuel Cost / Month

Full Charge (home)

Full Charge (public)

20% → 80% Time

km per Hour Charging

Home kWh / Month

Home Bill Impact / Mo

Total Cost of Ownership

8 years, cumulative

Where Your Charging Money Goes

Home$0/mo

Work$0/mo

Public$0/mo

Blended rate$0.00/kWh

Solar Sizing for Your EV

Solar needed to cover your daily driving

Daily Energy (kWh)

Solar Size (kWp)

550W Panels

Solar Yield (kWh/day)

Surplus / Deficit vs daily need 0 kWh

Home charger fill time (0 → 100%) --

Based on your daily travel and 4.5 peak sun hours. A --.

Detailed Comparison

Parameter	EV	Fuel	You Save

Payback w/ Solar

0 kg

CO₂ Saved / Year

Battery Life Left (8yr)

Yrs to Replacement

How This Is Calculated

EV energy = (daily km ÷ range) × battery kWh, plus charging loss. Blended rate = home% × home rate + work% × work rate + public% × public rate (normalized). Fuel cost/km = fuel price ÷ mileage (auto-converted for L vs gal). Payback = (EV price − fuel car price) ÷ yearly savings including maintenance. Break-even km = price difference ÷ savings per km. TCO = price difference + cumulative energy/fuel & maintenance costs over the ownership period. Solar = daily kWh ÷ peak sun hours, rounded to 550W panels. CO₂ uses grid factor 0.82 kg/kWh and petrol 2.68 kg/L. Estimates for informational purposes only.

8-Year Head to Head

EV vs Fuel, Side by Side

Item	EV	Fuel Vehicle

Fuel Price Sensitivity

Yearly savings if petrol / diesel gets more expensive

Fuel Price Rise	Savings / Year	Payback (yrs)