A Chevrolet EV driver posted a viral video after charging her new vehicle for the first time. She is shocked to find the total was $55.
TikTok user Jessica (@calijessxoo) has reached over 397,000 views on her video and added a caption that says, “Charge my Chevy Bolt EV with me!!!”
To start her video, Jessica first mentions that this is the first time she has charged her Chevy EV since purchasing. She then flips the camera to show the charging screen that reads, “Charge Your EV In Three Easy Steps.”
Charge your Chevrolet EV in three steps
The three step process to charging your EV is to first plug in the connector to your vehicle, next authorize the payment, and then “Charge up and go.”
As Jessica tries to figure out how to charge her car correctly, she first removes the connector from the charging port and begins to walk to plug it into her car. “These are [expletive] heavy,” she adds.
After struggling a few times to connect the charger to her car, she finally figured it out and frantically tells viewers, “Now I just gotta pay.”
The $55 total charge
While Jessica waits a few seconds at the screen, a voice then says, “Thank you,” right before she realizes how much the charging cost.
“Oh my god, why did you charge me $55?” she gasped. “Excuse me… wtf.”
Before ending her video Jessica gets back into the driver’s seat of her car and says, “Hopefully, it goes OK.”
In the last second of her video, Jessica records her dash board that shows her car’s charging is 80% complete in just 55 minutes.
Viewers react to the price tag
“55 minutes and 50 bucks for 5 minutes,” a user said in the comment section of Jessica’s video. “I think I’ll stick to gas.”
“Imagine in an emergency having to wait an hour to get going,” another said. “Or having to wait in your car when it’s freezing out or hot out for an hour.”
One added simply that, “55 minutes to charge a car…. That’s crazy.”
How much does it cost to charge an EV?
According to KKB, in the United States, the average cost to charge the average EV battery is $12.32. The site added to “Remember that many new EVs come with a limited amount of free charging at public stations, and charging networks typically offer subscription plans that help reduce charging fees for EV drivers who frequently use them.”
To calculate the cost of charging your EV using at home charging, automotive journalist John Voelcker says to “find your electric bill, then divide the [number] of kilowatt-hours you used into the bottom-line dollar total. That’ll give you the price you paid per kWh.”
They continue on saying that according to the United States Energy Information Administration, “The average U.S. household pays about 16.88 cents per kWh.”
Reddit users offer advice
A user under the Reddit thread posted to r/EVgo mentioned that they also just bought their first EV and took it to an EVgo for the first time.
“The battery starts charging from 27% and ends at 55%,” the user explains. “It means it charged 28% for my car. And I got the message from my bank that I got a transaction for my credit card for $55 from Evo?”
“Why is the price so expensive?” they continue, “More expensive than gasoline??? $55 for 28% charged.”
One user suggested, “Could that be a hold?”
“If you look at that station in the EVGo app, you should be able to see the per kWh charge,” they continue. “I would have guessed you’d pay around $15 or less (I’m guessing you added around 20kwh.) If charged at, say, 56 cents per kWh, that would be $11.20 plus $2 session charge and taxes.”
Another added, “it’s been a while since I charged at EvGo, but I vaguely remember this happening. Probably a hold. Check your CC statement again in a couple days and I bet it’s lower.”
@calijessxoo charge my chevy bolt ev with me!!! 🥰🥰 #evgo #ev #chevyboltev #evcharging #tesla #prius ♬ original sound – jessica🌞🦋
The Daily Dot reached out to request a comment from Jessica via TikTok comment and direct message and EVgo via email.
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