The cost of fast-charging electric cars is accelerating beyond the price of refuelling conventional vehicles in Australia.
Though the “range anxiety” that discouraged people from buying electric cars has been mitigated by 1000 fast-charging outlets across the country, increasingly high charging fees could make drivers hesitant to make the switch.
Evie Networks, Australia’s largest fast-charging provider, has increased prices by 80 per cent in five years, from 35 cents per kiloWatt hour in 2020 to 63c/kWh during peak periods today. Charging is slightly cheaper – 53c/kWh – during overnight off-peak periods which start at 9pm and finish at 10am.
Tesla’s Supercharger network is even more expensive for vehicles made by rival brands – some sites charge 92c/kWh for energy.
A Toyota RAV4 with a 55 litre tank that costs $1.80 per litre to fill, or about $100 for a full tank returning more than 800 kilometres of range, and EVs can start to look like a tough sell.
On a dollar-per-kilometre basis, the most expensive EV chargers result in cars such as a BYD Atto 3 or Kia EV9 costing $14 and $18 to power for 100 kilometres, which is more than the $8 or $13 of a Toyota RAV4 or HiLux.
