EV Charging in Iowa: What the Numbers Mean
Iowa's residential electricity rate is 12.5¢/kWh — 3.6¢ below the national average of 16.1¢/kWh, which works in EV owners' favor. At that rate, a typical EV (3.5 mi/kWh) costs $429/year to charge at home for 12,000 miles.
Compared to a 30 MPG gas car at $3.05/gal ($1220/year for the same miles), EV home charging saves $791/year — $3,955 over 5 years, before incentives.
Home Charging vs Public Charging in Iowa
The biggest driver of EV cost is where you charge. Home charging at 12.5¢/kWh is always the cheapest option. Public Level 2 stations average around 31.3¢/kWh — 2.5x more expensive. DC fast chargers run about 34.3¢/kWh. Tesla Superchargers in Iowa are estimated at 27.1¢–33.8¢/kWh depending on membership.
Most EV owners do 80%+ of their charging at home overnight. If you don't have home charging access, the economics shift significantly — charging entirely at public DC fast chargers would cost $1176/year in Iowa, narrowing the gap with gas considerably.