EV Charging: How Easy And How Much?

Imagine a day where you can drive by your local gas station and its ever escalating prices without having to stop to refill your tank. The great news is that day has arrived.

Chevy, Mitsubishi and Nissan are now offering electric cars that drive great and offer freedom from escalating gasoline prices. But potential drivers have to concerns. First, is electricity price competitive with gasoline? Second, how hard is it to get a recharge?

The quick answer is that electric cars cost about $1-2 per day for electricity. And recharging them is as easy as plugging in a leaf blower at your house.

NRG has made great strides to stabilize the cost of EV charging for consumers in Dallas and Houston. They have created a pricing plan where an electric car owner can recharge their car at home or at their area NRG recharging stations. For $49 a month a homeowner gets a recharging station. For $79 a month a homeowner can get a home recharger plus unlimited recharging at an NRG EVGO "Freedom Station." And for $89 per month a homeowners receives a home recharge plus unlimited car recharging at home or a NRG recharging station. How many of us can run our gasoline cars, SUVs and trucks for $90 per month?

NRG's eVgo "Freedom Stations" offer fast recharging at convenient retail locations. The idea is that a customer can go to their local Wallgreens or Best Buy store and recharge their electric car's battery while shopping. A full recharge can take as little as 25 minutes.

Here's a video of my own experience recharging the Chevy Volt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTkNlb4Fxss

The bottom line is that driving an electric car is now feasible for the average driver. The economics work and they will only get better as gasoline prices continue to rise.

And recharging is hassle free compared to filling up at a gasoline station. Its as easy as plugging your car into your home's electrical outlet.

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Bill Roth is the founder of Earth 2017, a company that connects businesses with customers who are searching for smart, healthy and green solutions. His book, The Secret Green Sauce, profiles best practices of businesses that are making money and a difference. During 2011 he is implementing Green Builds Business, an 11-city coaching program sponsored by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with funding by Walmart.