I thought free EV charging was a myth, but I finally tried one — here’s what happened
Here's yet another compelling reason to get an EV
EVs are expensive. That’s one of the biggest reasons why car shoppers are reluctant to buy one as their next vehicle, even if they offer greater long term savings when charging at home. While paying to charge your EV does come out less than filling up on gasoline, the next best thing would be to experience free EV charging. Well, I finally got to try one out — but it did come with its own pros and cons.
I spoke to my colleagues about their experiences with free EV charging, which were both good and bad, but I wanted to see for myself what the hype is all about. For those teetering on the idea of buying an electric vehicle, I wouldn’t say that the potential of free EV charging should be high on your priority list. Instead, I would classify it more as an extra perk to owning an EV.
What’s really interesting about my experience with free EV charging is that I came upon it by accident while testing the Lucid Air Pure. I wasn’t looking for a free charging station, so when I read the fine print on the cost, I was blown away at the end with a receipt that read zero dollars. Here’s what I learned about free EV charging.
Free with a catch
Driving around to find a dinner spot, I remember there was an EV charging station close to where I settled on eating. The sign indicated that it was a Volta charging station, but once I parked the Lucid Air Pure in the spot and proceeded to scan the QR code, it turned out to be operated by Shell Recharge — so I obviously had to wait to download the app before proceeding on.
I can’t tell you enough how this is one of my biggest criticisms about EV charging. Many of charging stations require you to download their respective apps and create an account, rather than just using a credit card as you would at a gasoline station. It’s an annoyance I know my non-tech savvy father would be bothered by, but this is a hoop you have to jump through to get free EV charging.
Before I could start charging, I needed to add funds to my account. At this point I thought charging wasn’t going to be free at all, but since I created yet another EV charging account, I decided to add $10 because I’ll most likely come across a different Shell Recharge station where I would need to pay.
Once I finally got through all of that, the charging sequence finally started and I left the Lucid Air Pure, crossing my fingers that the cost would come out to be zero when I came back. And just like what the fine print listed in the app, it came out to be free. I went back to the same EV charger the following day, and again charging cost me nothing. Crazy!
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Level 2 speeds for the win
What makes this EV charging experience even more satisfying is that it isn’t the same Level 1 charging speeds I get at home, but a much faster Level 2 charging. Before I started, the Lucid Air Pure was showing a range of 129 miles. In the 1 hour and 10 minutes of charging, it added back 46 miles — giving the car a total range of 175 miles.
In total, the EV charger dispensed 9.31 kWh of electricity, which I’m impressed about because that’s a decent amount added back for that time frame. This comes out to about a rate of 39 miles/hour with this Level 2 charger, which blows away the 3 miles/hour rate I get at home. If I wanted to get a full charge, it would’ve taken 6 hours and 25 minutes from when I started.
The point I want to make here is that these free EV chargers are convenient, especially after visiting other paid charging stations that offer slower charging speeds. Who wouldn’t want to get more range while they’re shopping or having dinner? But while I’m ecstatic about free EV charging, they do have their own set of challenges.
Challenges with free EV charging
Most notably, there simply aren't enough free charging station. This was one of two at this busy shopping plaza, which I imagine would be nearly impossible to get a hold of at busier times. Fortunately for me, I came to it in the late evening closer to 9:00 p.m., when many of the shops were closing up for the night.
Another challenge that I’ve seen at this particular charging station is that vehicles hog up the spot for extended periods of time, so it’s a game of roulette trying to snag one during peak hours. What’s worse is that the other charger at this location was out of commission and wasn’t showing up at all in the app. It irritates me whenever I come across an unoccupied charging station, especially when things are busy, only to find it’s not working at all.
Bottom line
I know these issues with free EV charging can easily be overlooked because at the end of the day, I only had to deposit a small amount of money into my account to reap the rewards. So far, the same EV charging station is showing up with a $0 flat rate fee for me — and with no time restrictions. At the end of the day, free EV charging still exists, and I’ll gladly take whatever I can find despite the challenges.
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John’s a senior editor covering phones for Tom’s Guide. He’s no stranger in this area having covered mobile phones and gadgets since 2008 when he started his career. On top of his editor duties, he’s a seasoned videographer being in front and behind the camera producing YouTube videos. Previously, he held editor roles with PhoneArena, Android Authority, Digital Trends, and SPY. Outside of tech, he enjoys producing mini documentaries and fun social clips for small businesses, enjoying the beach life at the Jersey Shore, and recently becoming a first time homeowner.
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Deftjef Luckily I live in a city that offers free level 2 EV charging nearby and I charge my Model S Plaid for free 75% of the time. I also have an ICE vehicle and park it nearby to where the free EV chargers are located. On days I charge my EV I drop it off at the charging station and pick up my ICE. So far they are very liberal with the charging times and I often leave my EV to charge to 80-90%. You get a txt message to pickup your car after 3 hours but it’s never enforced in any manner. It’s abused (staying >3 hrs) by most of us that use it but only rarely are all 4 bays occupied. If they are I just come back later or overnight. It’s been going on about 2 years now and I’ve saved considerably as compared to the Porsche Panamera I previously owned considering fuel and maintenance costs.Reply -
bobmeyerweb But it's not really free. There was an opportunity cost of an hour and 20 minutes that you could have been doing something else. Unless the "free" charger is a short walk from your work, that cost is real. Sure, maybe once in a while you can spend the time shopping, but most of the time it's going to be a real time sink. The time required to charge is still a significant disadvantage of EVs. And rarely are half the pumps at a gas station not working, and if that happens there's likely to be another station a couple of miles away.Reply
As for the "free" city provided charging mentioned in the first comment. That's not really free, either. Taxpayers are paying for it. You and your neighbors are paying for it. Now, with relatively few EVs on the road the cost per person may be small, but imagine the city was paying for everyone's gasoline and taxing you for it. Would be a great deal for those who drive a lot, but a real screwing for those who drive very little. Why should your neighbors pay for your recharging? -
Deftjef In my area most town halls, police and fire stations, and other municipal buildings in the region pay nothing for gas or electric service. That’s because of an unusual provision in their utility franchise agreements that offers local governments “free” energy in exchange for the use of public rights of way.Reply -
COLGeek
I understand your perspective, just keep in mind that someone does indeed pay. Usually other customers of said services.Deftjef said:In my area most town halls, police and fire stations, and other municipal buildings in the region pay nothing for gas or electric service. That’s because of an unusual provision in their utility franchise agreements that offers local governments “free” energy in exchange for the use of public rights of way. -
Bone61 Level 1 AND level 2 you can do at home, level 1 is 110v and painfully slow, level 2 I 220 volt and much faster if you aren't in a big hurry, level 3 is what you aren't doing at home, it's a nominal 400vdc, and in some cases 800vdc. Any free level 3 charging in generally has a limited period of time depending on what was negotiated by the manufacturer with the provider...I haven't found any actually free level 2 chargers near me, the ones I did find charged almost as much as the level 3 places and were slower than my home charger.Reply
3 year long owner of a Polestar 2. -
Fruban
Most people do find something to do during charging and aren't waiting there doing nothing. Also, the benefit of taxes going towards anything that's good for the environment like EV charging is that it means less air pollution for everyone and less CO2 which is driving the climate crisis which affects us all.bobmeyerweb said:But it's not really free. There was an opportunity cost of an hour and 20 minutes that you could have been doing something else. Unless the "free" charger is a short walk from your work, that cost is real. Sure, maybe once in a while you can spend the time shopping, but most of the time it's going to be a real time sink. The time required to charge is still a significant disadvantage of EVs. And rarely are half the pumps at a gas station not working, and if that happens there's likely to be another station a couple of miles away.
As for the "free" city provided charging mentioned in the first comment. That's not really free, either. Taxpayers are paying for it. You and your neighbors are paying for it. Now, with relatively few EVs on the road the cost per person may be small, but imagine the city was paying for everyone's gasoline and taxing you for it. Would be a great deal for those who drive a lot, but a real screwing for those who drive very little. Why should your neighbors pay for your recharging? -
Johnr_Roberts
I agree. 1hr 10min out of my life for a measly 46 miles - that some other poor bunny pays for? Electric cars shouldn't have been brought in until the entire bodywork was created as efficient solar panels. I thought modern cars were supposed to be MORE convenient, not less.admin said:thought free EV chargeing didn't exist anymore, but I finally got the chance to experience it for the first time.
I just tried free EV charging for the first time — here's what happened : Read more