One of the oft-touted benefits of electric cars is that charging one’s car is generally cheaper than filling it up with a full tank of gas.
In fact, according to the Pew Research center, “saving money on gas” was a major reason that 70% of those who would consider buying an electric vehicle say that would do so.
Is it cheaper to charge an electric car or gas up a traditional one?
However, while cheaper fill-ups may have been one of the main reasons people would buy EVs in the early days of their roll out, it would appear that cheap power is no longer a major motivation for going electric.
That’s because electricity prices have gone up in recent years. As noted by a Washington Post piece in August 2023, while direct comparisons between gas and electric vehicles is difficult given their differences in range and what affects said range, one can still determine approximately how much money they will save by going electric—and it might not be as much as one thinks.
“In Mississippi, for example, a conventional pickup costs about $30 more to refuel than its electric counterpart,” writes author Michael J. Coren. “For smaller, more efficient SUVs and sedans, EVs save roughly $20 to $25 per fill-up to cover the same number of miles.”
Now, electric vehicle owners are coming to grips with this unfortunate reality, and they’re not too happy about it.
This can be seen in a recent video from TikTok user Bryan, who revealed his shock after going to an electric charger to fill up his Mercedes-Benz EV.
“This is the first time I charge my car at a charger that I have to actually pay for it,” he says. “Normally I charge at Electrify America, and I knew the charging was expensive. I knew it was more expensive on non-Teslas, but this is crazy.”
“Like, I’m at EVgo right now, the rate here is 61 cents—61 cents!” he continues. “For 10%, I just paid $15. I just paid $15 for me to get 10% of range. What? What? Oh no, that’s gas!”
He goes on to say that, given there were no other chargers in the area, he did not have a choice but to go to this charger. Other chargers, he adds, did not offer better rates.
“They’re all, like, the same price. They’re all, like, 61 cents,” he explains. “I saw one for 73 cents. 73 cents? 73 cents a kilowatt? What, what are you—that’s gas! That’s gas! That’s diesel!”
@bryanthediamond How much do you guys pay for a full tank?!? when did charging become the same price as gas?!?😵💫📈 ##fyp##electriccar##ev##besties##bryanthediamond ♬ original sound – Bryan 💎
Commenters shared in Bryan’s shock.
“babes..thats more than gas!! I can fill by big SUV for $45-$55!!!” exclaimed a commenter.
“So it would be $150 for a full charge, thats a few tanks of gas,” noted a second.
“People are going to start having portable generators in their cars lol,” joked a further TikToker.
We’ve reached out to Bryan via email.