Some of us were willing to pay extra for the EV because the cost of service was less than the cost of the ICE car. In my case I pay $0.11 / kwhr and average just over 4 m/kwhr, so my cost per mile is $0.0275 per mile, say $.03.
Our ICE gets 28 mpg on the road so if we go on road trips at $4.00 per gallon our cost is $0.1329 per mile, say $0.14.
If we have to pay anything over about $0.10 per mile to charge, then I would rather take the ICE and not waste time charging while on the trip. After all, we can get almost 400 miles on a tank, so do not have to refill if out total trip is less than that.
People, my time is worth something to me, and I am sure that this applies to most of the public that we would like to adopt EV's. Even free, I would rather not charge anywhere but home if I can get there.
The only way I can see widespread use of EV's is that:
1. The quick charging infrastructure must have DCQC's along the major highways and interstates every 25 to 30 miles.
2. The CPUC (and other state's agencies) must set the rate for the utilities to charge for EV charging (such as the lowest rate for the public) without the added "demand charge."
3. The various service providers (eVgo, Chargepoint, Blink, AV, etc.) are allowed to collect funds for the utility for the amount of kwhrs used, alone with a small service fee for their overhead in maintaining the equipment and admin plus a profit.
4. The cost of install and set-up of the infrastructure to be paid for out of the various state highway funds. Once set up the units are turned over to the contracted service provider (who had the contract to do the install) for the operation being paid for out of use funds collected in step 3 above.
The way I see it, if the Utilities are able to charge a high rate per kwhr, along with a high demand charge (which a DCQC will have to pay), to the service provider, then the service provider will have to pass along those costs along with their own profits to us, the users of the charging stations. The only way they will be able to make a profit is if the cost we pay is even higher than the cost of using an ICE.
Some of you say that you are willing to pay the $5.00 or more for the convenience of the quick charging. If you get 50 miles for the $5.00 then your costs is $0.10 per mile, or three times the cost of energy from home. If the cost is $10.00 per session, then the cost is $0.20 per mile which is more than the cost of gas for the ICE. If you take a trip and have to DCQC 3 times on the road, then you just paid more than you would for gas, plus you spend at least an extra 2 hours on the trip, maybe more if you have to wait on someone else to finish their charge.
Before I finally realized how much the free electricity was costing me in time, I stopped by the dealer for a quick top-off to 80% while I was in the area. Someone was already connected and another one was waiting, so I went to the 240v EVSE to get a little bit while I waited. About 45 min later I finally moved back and got the 10 minutes extra QC I needed to reach 80%, then went home. That $2.00 of electricity cost I avoided by not charging at home cost me over an hour. I finally realized how stupid I had been. I could have gotten home without it, but wanted to get the "FREE" stuff. Well folks, it is NOT FREE!
I used the dealer DCQC and 240v EVSE this last Saturday / Sunday for my distance run. That will probably be the last time I use it as it now is part of the NRG eVgo network, with fees starting 4/5/14.
After my 100% charge from home, I drove the freeways at 65mph until turtle (68.9 miles). We used the roadside assistance to flatbed us to the DCQC at the dealer. After 45 minutes and 90%, we drove over to the 240v EVSE to top off. At 99% we gave up waiting and started our distance run on city streets at 30 mph, with traffic lights, so average was more like 20 to 22 mph. We ended up getting 126.0 miles so joined the 100 mile club (#77) and the 200 KM club (#10). We reached turtle on the street in front of the dealer, so when it shifted to (N) we coasted into the parking spot with the 240v EVSE, using almost no brake at the end. We plugged in there for over half-hour before we were able to drive, then when we tried to use the DCQC it was "Off-Line." I called eVgo but the service person was unable to reset the machine. We had used it 7 hours earlier with no problem, but now it did have an issue. We had no choice but to go back over to the EVSE to get enough electricity to get home. It was a long night/morning and we were ready for bed.
The lesson here is that if any trip requires a recharge on the road to get home we will just take the ICE. If the infrastructure is there and the cost is close to what I pay at home, then I am willing to accept the extra time of travel to recharge, just to do my part to save the environment. If it cost me as much or more than gas would, plus the extra time, then we will just take the ICE and enjoy the trip.
just my 2 cents.