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Tesla Charging Cost Calculator

Created by Rahul Dhari
Reviewed by Steven Wooding
Last updated: Mar 01, 2024


This Tesla charging cost calculator will help you estimate the cost to charge a Tesla. The charging cost depends on factors like how much is your Tesla's battery capacity, and to what level you are charging it. In addition to this, the calculator also covers the calculation of driving cost. If you have questions like how much does it cost to charge your Tesla, read on to understand how to calculate the charging cost.

We also have a similar tool for hybrid cars: The plug-in hybrid economy calculator! It can help you estimate the monthly costs of owning a partially-electric car.

How much does it cost to charge a Tesla?

The charging cost of a battery can be calculated for a battery having capacity CC and is charged $R\$R per kWh, is given by:

P=CR,P = CR,

where PP is the total cost to fully charge the battery.

Now, you can also determine the cost of electricity to drive XX miles in your electric car. For a car having a battery with capacity CC kWh and consumes EE kWh/100 miles (ca. 161 km), the electricity cost can be written as:

EC=XER100,E_{\text{C}} = \frac{XER}{100},

where ECE_{\text{C}} is the electricity cost for your trip.

A very similar approach can be used to estimate your general energy bills. Check the electricity cost calculator to learn more!

Using the Tesla charging cost calculator — How much does it cost to fully charge a tesla?

Follow the steps below to estimate the charging cost:

  • Step 1: Enter the battery capacity CC in kWh.
  • Step 2: Insert the per-unit cost of electricity, i.e., RR.
  • Step 3: Tesla charging cost calculator will now use the equation above to return the cost to fully charge the battery.

Follow the steps below to determine the electricity cost for your trip:

  • Step 1: Enter the driven distance, XX.
  • Step 2: Insert the per-unit cost of electricity, i.e., RR.
  • Step 3: Fill in the efficiency of your vehicle, i.e., energy consumed in kWh per 100 miles, EE.
  • Step 4: Tesla charging cost calculator will then return the cost of your trip.

🙋 Don't own a Tesla, but would very much like to buy one? Check our car loan EMI calculator to see how much it could cost you monthly!

Example: How to calculate Tesla charging cost?

Find the charging cost for your Tesla having a battery capacity of 80 kWh with the unit cost given as $0.15 per kWh. Also, estimate the electricity cost for a 100 miles trip, given the efficiency is 160 kWh/100 miles.

  • Step 1: Enter the battery capacity C=80kWhC = 80 kWh.
  • Step 2: Insert the per-unit cost of electricity, i.e., R=$0.15/kWhR = \$0.15/kWh.
  • Step 3: The cost to fully charge the battery:

P=CR=800.15=$12P = CR = 80 \cdot 0.15 = \$12

Therefore, the cost to fully charge a battery is $12. Now let's find out the trip cost. To find the trip cost:

  • Step 1: Enter the driven distance, X=100miX = 100 mi.
  • Step 2: Insert the per-unit cost of electricity, i.e., R=$0.15/kWhR = \$0.15\mathrm{/kWh}.
  • Step 3: Fill in the efficiency of your vehicle, i.e., energy consumed in kWh per 100 miles, E=160kWh/100miE = 160 kWh/100 mi.
  • Step 4: The cost of your trip is:

EC=XER100=1001600.15100=$24.00E_{\text{C}} = \frac{XER}{100} = \frac{100 \cdot 160 \cdot 0.15}{100} = \$24.00

The cost of the trip is $24 and since the battery capacity is 80 kWh, this trip cost is for about 2 times charging the battery.

Now, not everyone charges their car to full in one go; therefore, you can use the plot below to estimate the charging cost for different battery levels. The charging level interval is set to 10% for the plot based on your convenience. Say, for the case above you only charged the battery to 75%, then set the interval to 5% and hover the mouse over to the 75% mark to see the cost associated with it, i.e., $9.

FAQ

How to calculate charging cost for a trip?

To calculate the charging cost:

  1. Multiply the driven distance with vehicle efficiency (kWh/100 miles).
  2. Multiply the product with electricity unit cost.
  3. Divide the product by 100.

How do you calculate EV charging cost?

To calculate charging cost: Multiply the battery capacity with the electricity unit cost.

How much does it cost to charge a Tesla?

To calculate the electricity cost for a trip in a Tesla:

  1. Multiply the trip distance (X) with vehicle efficiency (E).
  2. Multiply the product with the charging cost per kWh (R).
  3. Divide the product by 100.
    E_C = X × E × R / 100.

What is electric vehicle efficiency?

Electric vehicle efficiency is defined as the amount of power consumed to travel 100 miles or 100 km. The efficiency for a 2016 Tesla model S is 21.75 kWh/100 miles.

Are Tesla charging stations free?

Unfortunately, Tesla no longer offers free charging. However, in the past there has been a scheme for new users to charge at no cost for a limited time.

Rahul Dhari
Electric car
Model
Custom ▾
Charging cost
Price (per kWh)
$
Capacity
kW
h
Cost
$
Driving cost
Driven distance
mi
Efficiency
kWh/100
mi
Electricity cost
$
Charging cost vs Battery level
Charging Interval
10
%
X-axis: Battery level (%)
Y-axis: Charging cost
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