Is California Actually the Worst State To Own an Electric Car?
California has some of the most robust EV charging infrastructure in the nation, but rising costs of electric car ownership could be turning off new owners.
California
prides itself on being one of the best states in the nation to own an electric car, but new electricity tariffs could change that drastically. The Sunshine State was the first in the nation to announce a
ban on sales of gas-powered cars
by 2035, but high residential electricity tariffs could prove to be a barrier to widespread EV adoption. Read on with the car ownership experts at Jerry to learn more about California’s electricity policy, and what it means for EV owners.
Charging an electric car in California could cost you
One of the caveats of electric vehicle ownership is that they’re simply just more expensive than a gas-powered car. The idea is, however, that the savings come later by spending less money on fuel and repairs.
It is generally much cheaper to recharge the battery of an electric car than it is to fill up at a gas station, but many states across the nation have either imposed electricity tariffs or time-of-use rate plans, where the amount you pay for electricity is based on the time of day when you consume it.
The idea is that by charging more during peak times, people will instead opt to perform tasks that require lots of electricity during off-peak hours and avoid straining the electrical grid.
According to a story in the
Washington Post
, California has the second-highest average residential electricity tariffs in the U.S. The cost of running an EV in California
According to economists at UC Berkeley, California EV owners are estimated to pay about $600 annually to run their vehicles. That’s about a quarter of the money that EV drivers would save by not filling up on gasoline.
Additionally, households switching to electric heat from gas will also incur an additional $600 as California aims to ban gas-fired heating and boilers by 2030.
In spite of these challenges, it’s important to remember that large-scale EV adoption and a nationwide shift to using greener and more renewable energy sources aren’t going to happen overnight.
In the meantime states and localities have to carefully monitor residential electricity use so as not to overload the grid. Over Labor Day weekend, Californians were asked to cut back on unnecessary electricity use, including
unplugging their EVs
.California is still a great state to own an EV
Regardless of the inflated cost of electricity in California, the state still leads the nation in many ways when it comes to EV adoption and accessibility.
A partnership with ChargePoint
aims to bring hundreds of new EV chargers to low-income neighborhoods. Other proposals include aggressive plans to speed up EV adoption
.If you’re thinking about buying a new EV, look to the
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