Kyle's Corner (FYI) the Cost of Recharging Electric Vehicles

We are starting to hear more and more about electric vehicles.
The Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt are being released and
others will be coming!

Since it is the beginning of electric vehicles, why not start to learn
about the components needed to recharge such vehicles at home?

Let's start with the cost of electricity to recharge an electric
vehicle and then consider the cost of components required for
the recharge.

The electricity needed to run an electric vehicle is 11.32 cents (the
national average) per kilowatt or about $1 dollar to drive 40 miles.
With gasoline at $3.00 per gallon and a car that gets 40 mpg on
the highway, the electric vehicle's 'fuel' cost is about 1/3 the price
of gasoline.

Now, on to the cost of the charging components. Most garages are
equipped with 120-volt outlets and electric vehicles can be charged
from these outlets. However, the recharge time for the Chevy Volt
is about 10 hours from the 120-volt source. A 240-volt outlet
(frequently used for washers and dryers) cuts the recharge time
for the Volt to about 4 hours.

The following are some considerations for updating a garage from
a 120-volt to 240 voltage.

Both Nissan and Chevrolet offer complete charging systems for
homeowners. This includes assessing the home, obtaining the
electrical permit, installing the equipment, and performing warranty
service.

Nissan says that its equipment costs $2,200 and Chevrolet provides
it for $2,000. And what if you were to purchase the equipment and
have the work done locally?

If you want to fully go by the rules, you will need a permit for the
electrical service update. The permit should cost anywhere from
$25 to $100.

Updating your electrical service should cost anywhere from $50 to
$2000. Of note is that some older homes located in rural areas might
not be easy to update. In such a case, the easiest route would be to
have a completely new electrical box and circuit breaker installed.

Running the 240-volt line from the basement fuse box to the
garage should cost from $50 to $300. If the garage has a panel
box, it is much easier. By the way, if you are having a home and
garage built, you can specify that 240 voltage be installed in the
garage in anticipation of your future electric vehicle.

Purchasing the charging equipment should cost $500 to $2000.
Regarding the charger, you have some options because the
standardized SAE J1772 electrical connector on all electric vehicles
will work with all electrical chargers. Some of the more expensive
chargers have the ability to communicate with the smart grid to obtain
electricity at off- peak prices.

Installing the charger should cost $50 to $200. The equipment is
hard mounted to the garage wall and the recharge cord is a maximum
length of 25 feet. Thus, it is important to choose a mounting location
that will allow the electric vehicle to be recharged when parked in
any location of the garage.

So there you have it - the cost of recharging an electric vehicle. It
could be as little as $675 if you do the legwork. However, realistically,
having it done locally would cost $1000, or for about double this amount,
Nissan or Chevrolet can do it all.

At this point, these electric vehicle costs are likely fuel for
your thought!

Kyle Busch is the author of "Drive the Best for the Price..." He
welcomes your comments or car questions at his auto web site:
www.DriveTheBestBook.com.