What Does It Really Cost to Charge an Electric Car? A Thorough Report on Home Charging

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, many people are curious about the actual running costs—especially the electricity bills.
This time, I’m reporting on the real electricity costs of home charging for our two EVs: a Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo and a Tesla Model 3 Highland Long Range.

To get straight to the point, driving these two high-performance EVs as much as we want resulted in an astonishingly low cost of just ¥13,178.
Let’s take a closer look at how remarkable this figure really is.

This is not for one car. It’s the electricity cost for two EVs.

Home Charging Setup and Electricity Contract

First, let me explain our home charging setup.
We have installed two standard household 200V outlets in our parking area. Each outlet has a capacity of 3kW, with one assigned to the Taycan and the other to the Model 3.
With this setup, we charge both cars almost every day.

Our electricity contract is with Kansai Electric Power under the “e-Smart 10” plan. This plan’s standout feature is its very low nighttime electricity rates. The pricing structure is as follows:

– Nighttime (10 PM to 8 AM): ¥15.53/kWh
– Daytime (1 PM to 4 PM): ¥38.53/kWh
– Living time (8 AM to 10 PM): ¥30.11/kWh (summer rate)

In our case, charging is done almost 99% during nighttime, so we pay the lowest rate of ¥15.53/kWh.

Surprising Electricity Bill: Breakdown of ¥13,178 per Month

The period covered in this report is about one month, from August 26 to September 24, 2024. The electricity usage and charges for this period were as follows:

– Total usage: 600 kWh
– Breakdown: Nighttime 591 kWh, Living time (summer) 9 kWh
– Billed amount: ¥13,178

Some of you might be surprised by this result.
Running two EVs cost only ¥13,178. Let’s consider how inexpensive this is by comparing it to gasoline cars.

Near my home, gasoline prices currently range from ¥170 to ¥180 per liter. Filling up a high-performance engine car like these costs about ¥8,000 to ¥10,000 each time. Owning two cars might mean refueling twice a week or more.

Compared to that, the monthly cost of ¥13,178 is astonishingly low. And remember, these are high-performance cars like the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model 3, known for their exceptional driving quality.

The True Value of Electric Cars: Balancing Performance and Economy

What I want to emphasize here is that I’m not just saying “it’s cheap.” Of course, some might argue that eco-cars or kei cars have better fuel efficiency. But if we start that debate, it would lead to “just ride a scooter” kind of argument.

What I want to highlight is the value of being able to run high-performance, fun-to-drive cars like the Taycan and Model 3 at this cost. For example, the Taycan offers power and ride comfort comparable to a Panamera with a V8 engine. When I used to drive a Panamera Turbo, fuel efficiency was about 3–4 km/L in city driving and 8–9 km/L for commuting. That meant refueling almost weekly, costing at least ¥20,000 to ¥30,000 per month.

Compared to that, running both the Taycan and Model 3 for ¥13,178 is an incredible economic advantage. Plus, we achieve the following driving distances with this cost:

– Taycan: 600–800 km/month
– Model 3: 1,000–1,500 km/month (this time, 1,241 km)

Covering these distances for just ¥13,178 is clear proof of balancing performance and economy.

Especially for those who do a lot of short trips in the city, the benefits of EVs become even more apparent. Since EVs have no idling, their energy efficiency in traffic jams is very high. While stopped, they only consume power for air conditioning or audio, giving them a big advantage over gasoline cars.

For people with lifestyles involving frequent short trips like school runs or station commutes, EVs are an ideal choice.

However, it’s important to note that this result depends on having a home charging setup. If you don’t have home charging and rely solely on public charging stations, your costs will likely be higher. Still, EVs tend to be more economical than gasoline cars in most cases.
When compared to gasoline cars with similar performance, EVs almost always have lower running costs. Even when performance levels differ, EVs are often more economical.

Set to reach 80% charge by 8:00 AM

Finally, I want to touch on the general perception of EVs in Japan.

Unfortunately, EVs tend to have a negative image here. There are various reasons for this. Sometimes, positive news is hard to come by due to behind-the-scenes factors, and feelings of envy or jealousy from those who can’t afford EVs may also play a role.

As a result, negative opinions, articles, and videos about EVs tend to attract more attention, making it harder for positive information like this report to spread.

However, once you actually own and operate EVs, the clear economic benefits become obvious. I firmly believe that the true value and appeal of EVs lie in their combination of high performance and low running costs.

I hope accurate information and real user experiences about EVs will be shared more widely. That way, more people can understand the true value of EVs and consider them as a new option when choosing a car.