Are Electric Car Charging Stations Free to Use?

Change is never fun. It forces us to think and change. It's uncomfortable. But it forces us to adapt and get better. With automobile manufacturers clearly trending towards manufacturing Electric Vehicles, the change is going to be here sooner than we had all thought. We best be prepared for it.

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The biggest doubt that most of us have with the change is likely to be rooted around the day-to-day differences that are going to arise. Specifically, the shift in the move from filling our cars with conventional fuels virtually instantaneously to waiting for our car batteries to be adequately charged.

Conventional Fuels v. Electronic Vehicles: A Comparison

With conventional fuel, the advantages are fairly obvious. With an ecosystem to support it already in place, conventional fuels have a head-start.

On average, EV batteries have a capacity of 40 - 60 kWh batteries. Translating into charge time, this means that on average, an electric vehicle will need 8-9 hours to charge upto 80% if you're using a personal connection to charge your vehicle.

However, while still in development, commercial connections can allow the same charge, the same can be achieved in a mere 45 - 60 minutes. This is contingent however, on finding an EV charging station near you. With the ChargeZone application allowing you to locate such charging stations in your vicinity, this will allow you to keep track of the number of these charging stations going forward.

Cost of Charging your EV

With electricity tariffs differing from city to city, the cost of charging your vehicle too varies. On current estimates and operating rates, the cost at charging stations in metro cities ranges Rs 4-4.5 kWh for commercial stations, while personal connection costs vary from Rs 3-8 per unit.

Translated to upto an 80% charge for your vehicle, this could mean spending Rs 80-202 to charge your EV at a commercial station. However, on a personal connection every charge could cost you as high as Rs 160-450.1

Considering an average range of 450 - 500 kms on a full charge for EVs, this would mean that even considering the upper end, Rs. 450 would get you enough range to travel approximately 400 kms.

As a comparative, the cost of a litre of petrol as off late October, 2023 is approximately Rs. 107/ litre. That's like your car giving you a mileage of 100 kms/ litre. A far cry for any automobile operating at the minute.

Need for Charging Infrastructure

The electric revolution is picking up in the country and for many is fast turning into a question of affordability over a voluntary switch. However, to continue this trend the charging stations too will need to grow.

While the number of charging stations trail the number of petrol pumps in the country at the minute, the Government has on several occasions expressed the need to develop and grow the network of charging stations across the country.

Responding to the need of the market, companies like ChargeZone are committed to completing the requirements felt by this vacuum. By providing robust charging infrastructure to support the large-scale shift of vehicles from conventional engines to more sustainable solutions the rise of EVs appears to be imminent.

The world is charging up their EV dream and we're looking to expand the movement! Come be a part of the electric revolution with ChargeZone!