EV charger tools
Three calculations cover home charging. Charging time: divide the kWh you need by the charger's actual delivered kW. Cost per mile: your electricity rate times the car's kWh per 100 miles, divided by 100 - AFDC's example lands at about 3 cents a mile at 10.7 cents per kWh. Quote comparison: split any bid into hardware, labor, wiring, permits and panel work.
Charging time. The number that matters is the delivered power, which is the lower of the wall unit's output and your car's onboard AC limit. AFDC puts residential Level 2 at up to 30 amps delivering 7.2 kW, with the class spanning 7.2 to 19.2 kW; Level 1 is about 1.9 kW. Divide the energy you need by that figure and add some overhead for charging losses.
Cost per mile. AFDC's method: cost of electricity in dollars per kWh, times the vehicle's kWh per 100 miles, divided by 100. Their worked example - 10.7 cents per kWh, 27 kWh per 100 miles - gives about $0.03 per mile, and about $6 for a full charge on a 200-mile EV with a 54 kWh battery. Swap in your own rate; that's the whole trick.
Quote comparison. Five lines: hardware ($600-$1,200 for Level 2), labor ($1,200-$2,000), wiring ($6-$12 per linear foot), permits ($100-$200), panel work ($0 or $1,500-$4,000). Any quote that can't be mapped onto those lines is hiding something.
DOE also publishes its own tools - a Vehicle Cost Calculator for comparing fueling costs between models, and a station locator. Those are free, neutral and worth using before you accept a vendor's calculator that happens to recommend their product.
Choosing EV Chargers tools
The judgement calls that decide the bill, before anyone quotes you.
- Use the lower of car limit and charger output Every charging-time calculator that ignores the vehicle's onboard AC limit gives you a fantasy number.
- Put your real utility rate in AFDC's 3 cents per mile assumes 10.7 cents per kWh. Your rate may be double that, or half on an off-peak plan.
- Add losses to any time estimate Charging isn't 100 percent efficient. ENERGY STAR notes Level 2 is on average about 10 percent more efficient than Level 1 - neither is lossless.
- Prefer DOE's calculators to vendor ones AFDC's Vehicle Cost Calculator has no product to sell you.
- Model an off-peak scenario before you buy If your utility offers a time-of-use rate, run the cost per mile both ways. It sometimes matters more than the charger choice.
All EV Chargers tools
EV Charger Calculator
EV Circuit Amperage Selector
Home Charging Cost Calculator
Panel Capacity for EV Checker
EV Rebate Finder
Charge Time Estimator
EV vs Gas Fuel Cost Calculator
EV Install Financing Calculator
EVSE Brand Selector Quiz
Where these figures come from
Sources last checked
- U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center - Charging Electric Vehicles at Home · retrieved 2026-07-26
- U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center - Electric Vehicle Charging Stations · retrieved 2026-07-26
- ENERGY STAR - Electric Vehicle Chargers · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Bob Vila - Cost to Install an EV Charger at Home · retrieved 2026-07-26
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