What 10 Real EV Charging Sessions Reveal About Public Charging Costs
By Myunghyeon "Miles" Yu · Published Nov 13, 2026
Cover: Original AI-generated editorial illustration for this article. It is not a submitted charging-session photo or receipt.
What these 10 charging sessions show
The Founding 10 EV Charging Cohort contains 10 approved charging-session submissions across nine U.S. states and six charging networks. The administrator records total $95.49 for 269.892 kWh: a weighted average of $0.3538/kWh including two reported $0 sessions, or $0.4997/kWh for the eight paid sessions only.
This is a small, voluntary sample, not a U.S. average or a comparison of typical network prices. Approval means a submission was accepted into the dataset; it does not mean every reported field was independently confirmed.
The Approved 10-Session Cohort Dataset
All 10 submissions were approved as of November 13, 2026. Values below use the administrator's stored records. Supporting app screenshots or receipts were reviewed field by field; the evidence notes below identify what could and could not be confirmed.
On a phone: swipe the table horizontally to see all nine columns. Energy is shown to three decimal places so the totals can be reproduced. Vehicle details are participant-reported.
1 Two sessions are recorded as $0 paid. The EV6 screenshot confirms a charge offset by a discount. The Michigan Model S screenshot confirms energy and duration, but does not display the payment amount; its $0 amount and free-charging benefit remain participant-reported. Neither a benefit's transferability nor vehicle ownership was established by these screenshots.
What the supporting evidence confirms
- #1 EV6: energy, payment after discount, SOC and duration are visible; minor precision differences from stored values remain.
- #2 Model S, MI: energy and duration are visible; $0 paid and the listed tariff are not visible.
- #3 Kona: $5.18 paid and about 18 minutes are visible. The screenshot does not show kWh, so 10.816 kWh and its derived rate remain based on the stored submission.
- #4 EV9: energy, amount paid and duration agree with the screenshot.
- #5 Model S, FL: energy, payment and duration are visible; the state cannot be confirmed from the redacted location.
- #6 ID.4: energy, payment and 40%–100% SOC are visible. The stored 44 minutes and a time-resolved charging curve are not shown.
- #7 Model 3: energy, payment, duration and Texas location are visible, with a precision difference in energy.
- #8 Bolt, OH: energy, total paid, duration and station are visible.
- #9 Bolt, NY: energy, payment, location and date are visible. Receipt times show 3:37–3:57 PM; the stored 19 minutes needs reconciliation. Receipt energy is 24.6414 kWh versus 24.600 stored.
- #10 Bolt, MO: energy, payment and the $0.49 service fee are visible. Receipt times show 2:22–2:36 PM; the stored 13 minutes needs reconciliation.
These notes describe the November 13 evidence review. “Approved” and the administrator's “Screenshot Verified” label do not certify all fields. The calculations consistently use stored values rather than mixing selected receipt values with submission values.
4 Crucial Takeaways for Prospective EV Buyers
1. The 2.18x Public Charging Price Spread (29.2¢ to 63.8¢/kWh)
Effective cost per kWh · 8 paid sessionsUSD/kWh. All bars start at zero and share a $0.70/kWh scale. Calculated from stored payment and energy; see evidence limitations above. These are individual sessions, not state or network averages.
The eight paid sessions range from $0.292 to $0.638/kWh, a 2.18× spread within this sample:
- Lowest Paid Out-of-Pocket Rate: Missouri ChargePoint station at $0.292/kWh ($2.92 energy + $0.49 network fee).
- Examples from this sample: Texas Tesla Supercharger at $0.440/kWh and California Electrify America at $0.479/kWh.
- Highest Paid Rate: New York Applegreen highway travel plaza at $0.638/kWh ($0.59 base + NY state/local sales tax).
For an illustrative fuel-only comparison, $0.638/kWh at an assumed 3.5 mi/kWh equals 18.2¢ per mile. At an assumed gasoline price of $4.07/gal, a 32 MPG car costs 12.7¢ per mile and a 50 MPG hybrid costs 8.1¢ per mile. These are scenario inputs, not verified current national averages, and exclude charging losses, purchase price, depreciation, insurance and maintenance.
2. Fixed Session Fees vs. Raw Energy Rates
Session #10 in Missouri demonstrates how fixed transaction fees affect smaller top-ups:
- The base energy rate was $0.250/kWh ($2.92 for 11.68 kWh).
- This session’s $0.49 station service fee pushed the true effective rate to $0.292/kWh (+16.8% premium).
- For short charges under 15 kWh, fixed session fees materially increase the true cost per delivered mile.
3. The "Free Charging" Distortion: $0.354 vs. $0.500/kWh
How the two $0 sessions change the averageAll 10 · including reported $0 sessions$0.3538/kWh
8 paid sessions only$0.4997/kWh
Energy-weighted average = total paid ÷ included kWh. Zero-based scale to $0.60/kWh. The paid-only average is 41.2% higher within this sample.
Two of the ten approved submissions are recorded as $0.00 paid. Removing their energy from the denominator changes the weighted average:
- All 10 sessions: $95.49 ÷ 269.892 kWh = $0.3538/kWh (rounded to $0.354).
- Eight paid sessions: $95.49 ÷ 191.095 kWh = $0.4997/kWh (rounded to $0.500).
- Free-session energy share: 78.797 ÷ 269.892 kWh = 29.20%.
- Within-sample difference: the paid-only average is 41.2% higher than the average including the two reported free sessions. This does not estimate a national price or what the same sessions would have cost without benefits.
4. Duration does not establish a charging curve
The ID.4 record lists 49.400 kWh and 44 minutes. Its screenshot shows 40%–100% SOC but not duration or a time-resolved power curve. These records cannot establish how long the final 20% took, or a typical time for partial top-ups. Applegreen and ChargePoint duration differences also remain unresolved.
Data Scope & Methodology
- Scope: 10 approved submissions, eight paid and two recorded as free; nine states and six networks based on submitted metadata. Approval status was checked November 13, 2026.
- Evidence: official charging-network app screenshots and receipts were reviewed for visible fields. The notes above distinguish confirmed fields from stored or participant-reported values. We do not claim to have independently verified 10 unique drivers, vehicle ownership or every vehicle model/year.
- Dates: stored charging dates span July 22–November 9, 2026; submission dates span October 16–November 12, 2026.
- Calculation: effective session cost is stored total paid, including any recorded taxes or fees, divided by stored energy. Group averages divide summed payment by summed energy, not an arithmetic mean of session rates. Energy is charger-reported or submitted energy, not a measurement of usable battery energy.
- Precision: totals use stored energy to three decimal places. Some screenshots show more digits; we retain a consistent stored-data basis. Rates shown in the session chart are rounded to three decimals.
- Limitations: this is a voluntary sample with promotional benefits and incomplete field-level evidence. It cannot establish nationwide prices, typical network costs, vehicle charging performance or causal effects.
Plan with your own charging mix
The sample's paid rates span about $0.29–$0.64/kWh. Use your own home tariff, public rates and expected charging mix to estimate your costs, and check benefit eligibility separately.