Cheaper to use ChargePoint than charge at home

[TrojanEV]

So I was quite surprised and disappointed to calculate that it is more affordable for me to charge at a Level 2 ChargePoint station at $1.25 per hour, than to charge at home under my Southern California Edison rate plan (or even their EV rate plans). Perhaps I only have myself to blame, since my home electrical usage seems to be on the high side (and thus pushing me into the expensive electrical tiers), but I also think So Cal Edison is not particularly EV-friendly. Here's how I did the calculations to arrive at my conclusion that it will be cheaper for me to charge using ChargePoint than charging at home:

First, let's start with what it would cost me to charge at home. I am currently on So Cal Edison's standard residential plan (Rate Plan D) and here is the price per tier (before any additional taxes):

Tier 1 Rate: $0.15 /kWh
Tier 2 Rate: $0.19 /kWh
Tier 3 Rate: $0.28 /kWh
Tier 4 Rate: $0.32 /kWh

For the last 12 months (before I owned an EV) my usage has always had us in Tier 3 or 4 (more Tier 4 than Tier 3). So adding my FFE charging to our residential plan, I will effectively be paying $0.28 to $0.32 /kWh to charge. With gas at $3.00 per gallon and using the basic rule of 10, it puts my equivalent cost about even with a gallon of gas. Not good.

Now let's look at ChargePoint. Thankfully I have a ChargePoint station about a block from my work so I can charge up there when I need it. If I charge using a ChargePoint Level 2 charger, it takes about 4 hours at $1.25 per hour, so $5 to charge my entire 23 kW battery. That comes out to $0.22 /kWh to charge with ChargePoint. Obviously I need to time my charging carefully, so I pay for (and receive) each full hour's worth of charge since I think ChargePoint charges in whole hour increments (e.g. 61 minutes of charging costs 2 hours) -- but in general, this seems like my preferred (although not particularly convenient) charging method.

So Cal Edison does offer an EV whole house rate plan, but personally, I think it's crap, and may actually cost heavy users like me more money than the standard residential plan. Yes, you get a cut-rate price ($0.09 to $0.10 /kWh) from midnight to 6am, but they just make up for it by charging you higher prices (as much as $0.49 /kWh) during the other time periods. The other option is to install a dedicated meter for EV charging but that isn't practical for me since I'm currently renting.

Thoughts? Do my calculations look correct? I'm telling myself the inconvenience is simply the cost of saving the world from fossil fuels, but I have to admit I'm already a bit frustrated by the experience. I was expecting the power companies to be a little more supportive.

 

[brogult]

Yes, our 'special' SCE rate system really discourages high consumption of any kind. The only good thing is that if you have Solar and Net Metering, they have to credit you at those rates on what you generate. With Time-Of-Use metering, that means I get credited the highest rate during the day and can use the credit at night to buy back 4-5 times what I generate. The way things are right now, I have zero incremental cost--my bill doesn't change if I use a few more kWh--and my FFE gets charged for free.

The Home and EV plan (no separate meter) only works if you have reasonably low usage from 10 AM to 6 PM weekdays. If you are home all day in the summer with the AC set to 70F, it isn't going to work. The rates from 6-10AM, 6PM-midnight and all weekends are just normal. And then at night (midnight-6AM) they are 9-10 cents kWh. Since there is no separate metering, you get the same cheap deal on any power you use at night, not just your EV juice. Some things, like swimming pools, can be reset to run more at night. Others, like dishwashing and laundry, can be done later, albeit inconveniently.

Your conclusions are correct! Unless you can cut your daytime use to a minimal amount, the only rate plan that would help is the separate meter EV plan--and that costs thousands of dollars to implement even if you owned your house. Have you found any free chargers that you can mooch electricity from? There are a surprising number of completely free chargers, usually in public parks or Park-n-Rides, fairly near my house. The same may be true for you.

 

[TrojanEV]

Yes, our 'special' SCE rate system really discourages high consumption of any kind. The only good thing is that if you have Solar and Net Metering, they have to credit you at those rates on what you generate. With Time-Of-Use metering, that means I get credited the highest rate during the day and can use the credit at night to buy back 4-5 times what I generate. The way things are right now, I have zero incremental cost--my bill doesn't change if I use a few more kWh--and my FFE gets charged for free.

Yeah, we're in the market to buy a home and I will be looking at Solar soon after we purchase.

There are a surprising number of completely free chargers, usually in public parks or Park-n-Rides, fairly near my house. The same may be true for you.

Is there a good way to search for these free chargers? I've looked using ChargePoint's app and Plugshare and see only one free charger (at a Kohl's store) that is somewhat convenient to me. I don't shop there much at all, but maybe I'll have to start.

 

[davideos]

Your assessments are pretty good, so I have nothing to add to that; however, you might think again about trying the Time-of-use- EV. I think it is TOU-D-EV. When I bought my FFE, my electric bill went from about $150 to $190. I switch to TOU and I was back down to about $150 / $155. Family is home all day, but we're not big on AC use. If you are real careful with your calculations, you might be able to figure out which is best. SCE website lets you download your usage data.

Another option, see if your neighbor's house has an outdoor plug (just kidding!)

 

[unplugged]

So Cal Edison does offer an EV whole house rate plan, but personally, I think it's crap, and may actually cost heavy users like me more money than the standard residential plan.

Yes, it is possible that it will end up costing you more, but since you are on the highest rate tier, you might want to try it. You can speak with SCE customer service and see if they will crunch the numbers for you. It can't hurt.

On a related subject, the California PUC is doing a test among PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E that provided free charging units to those willing to test a submetering pilot program. I have paid for, and not yet received, my JuiceBox unit. This will be Wi-Fi enabled and allow the utility to separate the EV electricity use from my electric residential usage. That way, I can use the residential rate, while getting an EV rate from the charging unit.

Here is how the PUC explains it: PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E offer Time-Of-Use (TOU) rates for customers to charge their PEVs that may reduce their monthly travel expenditures. Submetering may provide additional value by avoiding the costs of charging infrastructure and other barriers to the adoption of TOU rates. In addition, encouraging night-time charging helps ensure that there is sufficient electrical grid capacity to meet the needs of all customers while minimizing cost and environmental impact.

 

[v_traveller]

Obviously I need to time my charging carefully, so I pay for (and receive) each full hour's worth of charge since I think ChargePoint charges in whole hour increments (e.g. 61 minutes of charging costs 2 hours) -- but in general, this seems like my preferred (although not particularly convenient) charging method.

The chargepoint where I work charges $1/hr, minimum $1 for the first hour, then prorates by the minute after that. Hopefully yours prorates also. Your calcs seem correct; I'm at about $0.18/hour to charge the FFE.

So Cal Edison does offer an EV whole house rate plan, but personally, I think it's crap, and may actually cost heavy users like me more money than the standard residential plan.

It might; for me the time-of-use plan actually costs a lot less because my usage is quite minimal during peak hours. Analysis of my situation is here:

http://ev-vin.blogspot.com/2014/11/choosing-rate-plan.html

Have you logged in to sce.com and checked out your hourly usage? If not, doing so might help you decide whether or not to try the time-of-use plan. Here's a snapshot of my typical consumption on a weekday, per SCE's web site:

Here's a comparison of time-of-use vs residential rate for my electricity consumption last month. the TOU plan saved me about $82 when compared to the residential rate plan:

 

[EVA]

There's another way to look at it - Quality of Life.

One of the reasons we love having two electric cars, we never go looking for a gas station. Plug the car in at home and forget about it at night.

You might want to look at the total cost of parking a block away from work, figuring out how to leave work to unplug, and all the associated monkey business with that.

Is the money really worth it?

 

[TrojanEV]

Thanks for all the great responses. For the time being, I'm going to stay on the residential plan D and see how it goes. I often take a late lunch and so it's quite easy for me to plug my FFE into a ChargePoint station for a couple hours before heading home (for my 2 mile commute). I will also charge at home on just a 120v plug when I need to or it is convenient. We will be buying a home soon (if something decent ever comes on the market) at which point I will re-examine the EV rate plans, installing a Level 2 charger, and perhaps even solar. I did confirm that ChargePoint pro-rates by the minute after the initial hour, so that's nice and makes it easier to squeeze charging time in here and there.

In general, I would be more partial to SCE's Time Of Use EV plans if my situation were different. My wife only works part time and so our peak usage can be quite high in the hot Southern California summers, since my wife is at home running the AC frequently. Also, without a Level 2 charger at home, it's difficult to take complete advantage of the midnight to 6am super off-peak times, since that will only charge maybe 1/3 of the battery using a 120v outlet.

 

[TrojanEV]

On a related subject, the California PUC is doing a test among PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E that provided free charging units to those willing to test a submetering pilot program. I have paid for, and not yet received, my JuiceBox unit. This will be Wi-Fi enabled and allow the utility to separate the EV electricity use from my electric residential usage. That way, I can use the residential rate, while getting an EV rate from the charging unit.

Here is how the PUC explains it: PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E offer Time-Of-Use (TOU) rates for customers to charge their PEVs that may reduce their monthly travel expenditures. Submetering may provide additional value by avoiding the costs of charging infrastructure and other barriers to the adoption of TOU rates. In addition, encouraging night-time charging helps ensure that there is sufficient electrical grid capacity to meet the needs of all customers while minimizing cost and environmental impact.

Can you point me to somewhere I can get more information on this? I read about SCE paying for the addition of the submetering measurement device, but are you suggesting they are also willing to pick up the tab for the Level 2 charger? That would be a phenomenal deal.

 

[Olagon]

Much better than our local EV charging rates. We can get 6 cents off a kWh (we pay about 50 cents a kWh) but then pay more for peak use. We don't have time of use rates in Hawaii except for this program and maybe another pilot or two.

http://hawaiianelectric.com/heco/_hidden_Hidden/Renewable-Energy/Residential-EV-Pilot-Rates?cpsextcurrchannel=1

Don't know anyone that has used this special rate here.

 

[v_traveller]

Can you point me to somewhere I can get more information on this? I read about SCE paying for the addition of the submetering measurement device, but are you suggesting they are also willing to pick up the tab for the Level 2 charger? That would be a phenomenal deal.

Here you go! Not sure how it works if you might be moving soon, need to be in the program for 12 consecutive months. Must pay for the Juicebox up front, then we'll get reimbursed over time.

http://emotorwerks.com/index.php?option=com_rsform&formId=5

I've been signed up since September (thanks to jmueller for posting the news on this forum), have yet to be given the go-ahead on ordering. All I have is a confirmation that I'm in the program.

Good luck!

 

[unplugged]

I've been signed up since September (thanks to jmueller for posting the news on this forum), have yet to be given the go-ahead on ordering. All I have is a confirmation that I'm in the program.

I can give some more info on the Pilot Test Program for the EV Juicebox. I ordered and paid for my Juicebox on September 29th. I have been in touch with EMW with about 15 emails back and forth since then. EMW prioritized new owners without Juiceboxes first. Simultaneously, they were having issues with the Wi-Fi connecting to the owner's router and they now require that the router set up and password be sent to them for set up. They also have had heavy orders for commercial units, and that has slowed things down. They have promised me that next week they will send out my Juicebox, but they did that promise about three weeks ago, so we shall see.

I am primarily interested in seeing how the submetering can benefit my electric bill. The free Juicebox is a nice feature, but I have two EVSEs already.

You need a lot of patience with these guys. They are a small shop. BTW, I think they might have closed the test program for now, but you can always try. The worse thing would be that you get on a list for the next pilot program.

 

[unplugged]

They have promised me that next week they will send out my Juicebox, but they did that promise about three weeks ago, so we shall see.

I was notified that the pilot test JuiceBox will be delivered tomorrow. If anyone is interested, I'll detail my experience with the set up and the billing arrangements with SCE and OhmConnect.

 

[v_traveller]

I am definitely interested. Thanks unplugged!

 

[TrojanEV]

Yes, please keep us posted!

 

[unplugged]

I am definitely interested. Thanks unplugged!

UPDATE:
I received the pilot test JuiceBox on Wednesday and installed it with the included mounting bracket high up on the garage wall. The plug cord is about 6 foot, so I had plenty of cord to do so. Since the JuiceBox is right next to the FFE charging port, I didn't need any J1772 cable length either. That way, I was free to put a hose bracket from Lowes under the JuiceBox to wrap the extra cable.

I found it interesting that on the updated intro page of the "Quick Start" instructions, there was a statement, "Please note that JuiceBox is currently undergoing an in-depth safety certification at a National Testing Lab. Once it has been certified, Electric Motor Werks might need to replace your JuiceBox with UL-listed hardware. We will contact you if and when such a swap is necessary."

Because EMW had already requested my Wi-Fi password and set-up info, there was no need to configure the Wi-Fi to the Box. It was just plug and play so far as the Wi-Fi was concerned. On the earlier 6 (yes around 6 is all!) JuiceBox pilot units that had gone out, EMW had difficulty with connecting to the Wi-Fi at the households. The unit has a WPS button for quick connection, but you have to take off the unit cover and power-up the thing. (It did tell you to be careful when pushing the WPS button since the power inlet (of 240 volts) is next to the button.) Ouch.

The unit immediately contacts EMW. At that point they need to send an email with the unit number. e.g.: 12345678901234567890123456 Yep, a 26 digit number. That may be a bit of overkill. Once you get the unit number, a link is provided and you can sign on to a personalized web page with your charging information on it. There is some cool graphing available on the webpage. The graph provides "Energy Delivered" and "Instantaneous Power", but not a whole lot more can be done with it.

As a beta tester, you can also get a JuiceBox app for Android. (Sorry all you Apple lovers!) The app provides charging info and allows you to set the charging rate in amps. It also allows you to set a charge schedule and permits remote start of charging. You have to input the unit number manually, but just once. You can have more than one JuiceBox (up to five, I think) integrated into the app.

I have only had a few days (in between turkey) to play with the app, but it all seems to work so far. I will let you all know how the utility company integrates into all of this. I suppose they will wait to change my rate plan in about 20 days, once my new billing period starts.

 

[v_traveller]

Thanks unplugged! Good to know what to expect.

 

[hybridbear]

Very cool! I wish such a pilot program was available here.