EV Charging in Montana: What the Numbers Mean
Montana's residential electricity rate is 11.5¢/kWh — 4.6¢ 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 $394/year to charge at home for 12,000 miles.
Compared to a 30 MPG gas car at $3.32/gal ($1328/year for the same miles), EV home charging saves $934/year — $4,670 over 5 years, before incentives.
Home Charging vs Public Charging in Montana
The biggest driver of EV cost is where you charge. Home charging at 11.5¢/kWh is always the cheapest option. Public Level 2 stations average around 28.8¢/kWh — 2.5x more expensive. DC fast chargers run about 34.0¢/kWh. Tesla Superchargers in Montana are estimated at 25.3¢–31.5¢/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 $1166/year in Montana, narrowing the gap with gas considerably.