EV Charging in South Dakota: What the Numbers Mean
South Dakota's residential electricity rate is 12.8¢/kWh — 3.3¢ 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 $439/year to charge at home for 12,000 miles.
Compared to a 30 MPG gas car at $3.12/gal ($1248/year for the same miles), EV home charging saves $809/year — $4,045 over 5 years, before incentives.
Home Charging vs Public Charging in South Dakota
The biggest driver of EV cost is where you charge. Home charging at 12.8¢/kWh is always the cheapest option. Public Level 2 stations average around 32.0¢/kWh — 2.5x more expensive. DC fast chargers run about 34.3¢/kWh. Tesla Superchargers in South Dakota are estimated at 27.7¢–34.4¢/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 South Dakota, narrowing the gap with gas considerably.