EV Charging in Ohio: What the Numbers Mean
Ohio's residential electricity rate is 14.6¢/kWh — 1.5¢ 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 $501/year to charge at home for 12,000 miles.
Compared to a 30 MPG gas car at $3.18/gal ($1272/year for the same miles), EV home charging saves $771/year — $3,855 over 5 years, before incentives.
Home Charging vs Public Charging in Ohio
The biggest driver of EV cost is where you charge. Home charging at 14.6¢/kWh is always the cheapest option. Public Level 2 stations average around 36.5¢/kWh — 2.5x more expensive. DC fast chargers run about 34.9¢/kWh. Tesla Superchargers in Ohio are estimated at 31.0¢–38.6¢/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 $1197/year in Ohio, narrowing the gap with gas considerably.