How Much Will Electric Vehicle Charging Cost You In India?

Electric vehicles are expected to be the future of the automobile industry. In India, the Government has made it clear that the manufacturing and adoption of zero-emission vehicles will be at the centre of the upcoming changes. In response to the global market trend and government’s encouragement, various car manufacturers in India have planned ahead for an environment -friendly future by electrifying their fleet of vehicles. However, from the buyers’ viewpoint, the fascinating future of the EV segment attracts only a few while the majority of the customers still hesitate with this new option. The major concerns remain to be the high initial cost and lack of charging facilities. By breaking down the electric car charging cost in India, IndianAuto hopes that you can decide for yourself if running an electric vehicle is a good choice, financially.

EVs are believed to be cheaper to run compared to other ICE vehicles

1. Electric Vehicle specifications explained

Before getting down to the calculation of cost, it is necessary to understand the basic specifications related to the running of an electric vehicle.

• Battery pack: The measurement used to indicate the “size” of a battery pack is kWh. If the battery pack is rated at 60kWh, it means that it can store 60 kWh. 

• Range: If the internal combustion engine vehicles have the kilometre per litre (kmpl) as the indicator of fuel mileage, the equivalence of this measurement in electric vehicles is kilometre per charge. However, these indicators are not comparable. Kilometre per charge simply indicates the number of kilometres an electric vehicle can go in one charge.

• Cost of electricity: The price that you have to pay for each unit of electricity. A unit of electricity is equal to a kWh.

Knowing the meaning of these terms, now let’s calculate the electric cars charging cost in India.

2. Electric cars charging cost in India

There are two ways of charging electric vehicles. The charging process can be either done at home or at a specialized charging station. Some modern electric vehicles provide two methods of charging, regular charging which is compatible with household charger and the other is fast charging which could be used at charging station. The fast charging can significantly lower the charging time. For example, regularly, it takes from 6 to 8 hours to fully charge an electric vehicle using the normal charger. However, with a fast charger, the charging time drops to only around one hour.

Charging at home

As mentioned above, the electric vehicle can be charged either at home or at the charging station. If you charge your car at home, the price would be calculated differently. Normally, at home, the owner lets the vehicle charged overnight since it takes up to 7 to 8 hours to fully charge the battery with the regular domestic power supply. Know some tips on saving electric cars charging cost can be helpful for EV owners.

It takes around 7 to 8 hours to charge an EV car at home

In the case of Hyundai Kona, the battery pack is 39 kWh and the range is 452 km, it means the electric vehicle consumes 39 units of electricity to run from fully charged to flat. This car would cost around 0.08 units of electricity to run a distance of 1 kilometre (39/452=0.08). The electricity price at home is charged differently depending on the total amount of units consumed each month. EV owner can calculate accordingly, depending on the current rates they are paying for electricity. You can apply the same formula and change the number to estimate the total cost for your own EV.

Charging at Station

The electric vehicle market in India is in the fledging stage and the charging station system is not developed yet. The first charging station in Delhi was established in 2018. Until now, the number of charging station in Delhi is increased to 55. The state government is planning to expand the number of charging station, aiming to establish a wide-spread network of EV charging stations in Delhi. The tentative charging cost at a public charging station which includes the cost of electricity as well as overheads is estimated around Rs 160 to Rs 200 for a full charge.