Rates and rebates make EVs in B.C. even more affordable
If you're like most electric vehicle (EV) owners, you'll do the majority of your charging at home or at work. That means that your BC Hydro bill will go up, but perhaps not as much as you might guess.
And with rebates available for the purchase and installation of Level 2 chargers in single-family homes, apartment buildings and workplaces, the overall cost of charging is now an affordable option for most people.
Sample cost comparisons
Here's a look at estimated monthly electricity costs for four different vehicles over four different distances, with 100% of charging done at home.
In the real world, the typical driver does about 80% of their charging at home, and supplements that with any combination of charging at work (often free), public stations (often free), or at fast charging stations that range in price from free to about three times the kilowatt-hour BC Hydro residential rate. We've used CAA's Electric Vehicle Cost Calculator to come up with the numbers:
Estimating charging costs
To estimate your BC Hydro electricity cost of charging different EVs, use CAA's Electric Vehicle Cost Calculator.
To get an idea of the total costs of EV ownership, take into consideration the higher purchase price of EVs, the available purchase rebates to offset that purchase cost, the lower fuel and maintenance costs for EVs, and the prospect of battery replacement down the road.
No specific electric vehicle charging rate, for now
The rate for charging an EV in B.C. is currently the same as the rate for the electricity you use throughout your home. But we're currently investigating what an EV-specific rate might be.