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Energy & Sustainability

Electric Vehicle Calculators & Guides

Charging cost, range and total-cost-of-ownership math — from home charger sizing to petrol comparison.

Electric vehicles turn the fuel-cost conversation into an electricity-cost conversation, and the arithmetic is unfamiliar to most drivers. What does 15 kWh per 100 km actually cost at your tariff? How much slower is charging at home vs a public rapid charger, and how does winter cut range? This hub walks through the numbers with the same rigour that manufacturers avoid in their marketing brochures.

The guides cover charging time and cost, range under real driving conditions, and side-by-side comparison against petrol or diesel. Where relevant, they link to supporting converters — miles to kilometres, mpg to L/100 km, and kWh conversions — so you can translate any manufacturer spec into terms that match your bills.

EV charging is also a natural companion to solar (charge the car with midday surplus) and time-of-use tariffs (charge overnight when the grid is cleanest and cheapest). Cross-links to those pillars help you plan the wider system rather than just the vehicle.

Flagship calculator · Free

EV Charging Cost Calculator

Cost per session, per 100 km, per year — plus savings vs petrol and CO₂ avoided, with editable home/public tariff split.

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Guides in this hub

In-depth articles covering the math, the assumptions, and the practical decisions for electric vehicles.

Electric vehicle plugged into charging station with digital display
🌱Energy & Environment

How to Calculate EV Charging Time and Cost

Understanding EV charging is essential for electric vehicle owners. This comprehensive guide explains how to calculate charging time, estimate costs, and compare different charging levels to optimize your EV experience.

Electric car and petrol car side by side for cost comparison
🌱Energy & Environment

Electric Car vs Petrol: Complete Cost Comparison

Is an electric car really cheaper to run than a petrol car? This guide provides a complete cost breakdown including fuel/electricity, maintenance, insurance, and depreciation to help you make an informed decision.

Car dashboard fuel gauge showing MPG and L/100km efficiency readings
🌱Energy & Environment

How to Convert MPG to L/100km (Fuel Efficiency Guide)

Fuel efficiency is measured differently around the world. Americans use miles per gallon (mpg), Europeans use liters per 100 kilometers (L/100km), and some countries use km/L. This guide explains how to convert between them and understand what good fuel efficiency means.

Various transport modes including train, plane, car and bicycle showing emission comparison
🌱Energy & Environment

Transport Carbon Footprint: Complete Mode Comparison

How you travel has a massive impact on your carbon footprint. A single flight can emit more CO₂ than a year of driving. This guide compares all major transport modes and helps you make greener travel choices.

Supporting converters

General-purpose unit converters you will use alongside the guides above — area for panel sizing, temperature for heat pumps, distance for EV range.

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mi → km

Miles to Kilometers

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km → mi

Kilometers to Miles

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mph → km/h

Miles per Hour to Kilometers per Hour

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gal → L

Gallons (US) to Liters

More calculators in this hub

Focused tools that answer a single question — pair them with the flagship calculator for deeper analysis.

Home Charger Sizing

Match 3.7 / 7.4 / 11 / 22 kW chargers to your battery, driving distance and overnight window.

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Dedicated calculators — in development

Purpose-built calculators for this pillar are being built. Until they ship, the guides above walk through the same math step by step.

Coming soon

EV vs Petrol Break-even

Find the annual mileage at which an EV wins on total cost of ownership.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?
Multiply your kWh price by your car’s consumption. Example: 0.30 €/kWh × 18 kWh/100 km = 5.40 € per 100 km. Compare that to a 6 L/100 km petrol car at 1.80 €/L = 10.80 € per 100 km. Real-world charging losses add 10–15%, so use 20 kWh/100 km at the meter for a car that reports 18 kWh/100 km.
How long does it take to charge an EV?
Home 7.4 kW AC: about 8 hours for a 60 kWh battery from empty to full. 11 kW three-phase: about 5.5 hours. Public rapid 50 kW DC: 20–80% in roughly 45 minutes. Ultra-rapid 150–350 kW DC: 20–80% in 15–25 minutes on a capable car. Charging slows dramatically above 80% to protect the battery.
How much range does an EV lose in winter?
Typically 20–35% at 0 °C compared to 20 °C, driven mainly by cabin heating (a heat pump halves this loss versus resistive heaters) and reduced battery efficiency. Preconditioning the cabin while still plugged in recovers some of the loss.
Is an EV cheaper than a petrol car?
On energy alone, an EV costs 40–70% less per km at typical European tariffs. Maintenance is also lower (no oil changes, less brake wear). The purchase price is higher, so break-even depends on annual mileage — usually 10,000–20,000 km/year makes an EV cheaper over 5 years, less if you drive very little.
What does MPG mean in kWh?
US EPA rates EVs in "MPGe" — miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent — using the energy content of a US gallon of petrol (33.7 kWh). A car rated 100 MPGe uses 33.7 kWh / 100 miles ≈ 21 kWh/100 km. See our MPG ↔ L/100 km guide for the underlying formulas.
Should I charge to 100% every time?
For lithium-ion batteries (NMC chemistry), daily charging to 80–90% preserves long-term capacity better than routine full charges. LFP chemistry (used in newer entry-level models and Tesla standard-range cars) tolerates and actually benefits from occasional 100% charges to keep the battery management system calibrated.

Explore related topics

Energy decisions rarely stand alone — solar pairs with batteries and EVs, heat pumps pair with insulation and tariffs.

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Solar Energy

Plan, size and understand a solar installation — from panel output to payback and battery storage.

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Heat Pumps

Understand COP, SCOP and running cost — and see when a heat pump beats gas, oil or direct electric heating.

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Home Energy

Understand your electricity bill, size home storage, and cut standby consumption — the everyday side of the energy transition.

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Carbon Footprint

Translate kilowatt-hours, kilometres, kilograms and litres into CO₂ — with emission factors you can verify.