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Electric Vehicle Charging Cost & Time Calculator

Estimate EV charging time, billed energy and cost with charging losses and taper. Compare electric and gasoline running costs using your tariff and driving distance.

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Published 28. October 2026 · version 1

#charging losses #dynamic tariffs #EnWG §14a #EV charging #running cost

This electric vehicle charging calculator estimates the energy you buy, the time spent charging and the resulting energy cost. It is intended for drivers planning a home charge, students learning the energy balance and engineers comparing charging arrangements. Use the EV charging cost calculator to compare a household socket, an 11 kW wallbox or a custom AC or DC connection.

Start with the battery's usable capacity, its starting state of charge and the target charge. Choose the connection and enter the vehicle's charging limit. The smaller of the available charger power and the vehicle limit governs the initial charging stage. A larger advertised charger cannot force a vehicle to accept more power.

Charging losses matter because the meter records more energy than the battery stores. The AC presets use the VW ID.7 measurements in ADAC's August 2026 study: 15.3% at a household socket and 6.9% at an 11 kW wallbox. They are examples, not guarantees for every car. Enter your own loss value for a different vehicle, reduced power or DC charging. For DC, use losses downstream of the connector's billing meter rather than adding the station's upstream conversion losses.

The EV charging time calculator includes an adjustable taper. Vehicle power acceptance is held level up to the selected knee, then decreases towards a finite endpoint. This is a simplified approximation inspired by constant-current/constant-voltage charging. It does not reproduce a particular vehicle's measured curve. The charts show how charger clipping and the final charge affect elapsed time and stored power. Charging to 100% can take substantially longer than a peak-power division suggests.

Enter an all-in electricity price in your chosen currency. For a dynamic or time-of-use tariff, enter three final retail prices and the shares of energy bought at each price. The calculator weights these shares; it does not choose a schedule or fetch live rates. German section 14a scenarios cover Module 1's allocated annual credit, Module 2's network energy-charge reduction and Modules 1 + 3's time-varying network prices. Module 2 uses your actual retail price unchanged by default. Calculate an additional deduction only from an unreduced retail price after confirming full supplier pass-through. Already discounted prices must not receive another deduction. The framework was checked on 25 October 2026; use your supplier's and network operator's current terms.

For the EV vs gas cost calculator, select metric or US consumption conventions, electricity consumption, fuel economy, pump price and annual distance. Identify whether the EV consumption is battery-side or already measured as billed electricity, so losses are counted once. Per-distance results compare energy only. Annual results also include any explicitly allocated network credit.

These are planning estimates. Temperature effects, pack ageing, balancing, queueing, charging pauses, session fees, subscriptions and fixed bill charges are excluded. Vehicle purchase, maintenance and depreciation are outside the comparison. Electrical installation work belongs to a qualified person; check the applicable rules and the standard in force.

How it is calculated

Energy and cost

For usable capacity $C$ , fractional state of charge $s$ and loss fraction $L$ of billed energy:

E_{battery}=C(s_1-s_0),\qquad \eta=1-L,\qquad E_{billed}=E_{battery}/\eta.

Losses are $E_{billed}-E_{battery}$ , not an extra percentage added to battery energy. AC uses the home electricity-meter boundary; DC uses the billed connector output. The same boundary defines available power and vehicle input limits.

Charging time

The equations below are derived here as a planning approximation. Let $a$ be the taper knee, $r>0$ the acceptance ratio at displayed 100% and $k=(1-r)/(1-a)$ . Vehicle acceptance is

q(s)=1-k\max(s-a,0),\qquad P_{stored}(s)=\eta\min(P_{point},P_{vehicle}q(s)).

Before taper this approximates constant power, rather than resolving the voltage rise during literal constant-current charging. In the CV-inspired region, power falls linearly with SOC; integrating energy conservation gives an exponential decay with time. The positive endpoint represents termination at displayed full charge, not an asymptotic electrochemical 100%.

The charger-clipping transition is $b=\mathrm{clamp}(a+(1-\min(P_{point}/P_{vehicle},1))/k,a,1)$ . The function charge_clock analytically integrates $C/P_{stored}$ : a constant-power term to $b$ , then a logarithmic term. Session time is the difference at the two SOC endpoints. Constant-power mode sets $b=1$ and gives the ideal lower-bound time. The curve parameters are adjustable assumptions, not fitted Tesla or ADAC data.

Tariffs and running cost

Three-rate pricing uses energy fractions: $p=\sum_j f_jp_j$ . Module 2 defaults to the actual retail price from the contract or bill; it makes no further deduction. An optional pre-reduction calculation subtracts $0.60$ times the full standard network energy charge only when the user confirms full supplier pass-through. This mode requires unreduced all-in retail prices, including the full network component. For an already included discount, partial pass-through or uncertain terms, use the actual customer price unchanged. Module 1's entered annual EV allocation is subtracted once from annual cost; Module 3 is represented by the three entered final retail prices and requires Module 1. The energy-price sweep and break-even price exclude annual credits and fixed charges.

Battery-side driving consumption is divided by $\eta$ ; billed consumption is used directly. Fuel and electricity are compared over 100 km or 100 US miles and scaled by annual distance. CU means one consistently chosen currency. Prices are numerical amounts per billing unit; the one-kWh and one-litre steps make that normalization explicit.

Assumptions

Usable capacity is proportional to displayed SOC; efficiency is constant within the selected session. Cold-weather heating, balancing, standby power and ageing require different inputs or a measured charging curve.
ADAC's 6 August 2026 AC study reports socket losses of 12.7–24.2% and 11 kW wallbox losses of 5.1–7.0%, measured at 10–90% SOC and initial battery temperatures of 20–30 °C. The presets select its VW ID.7 measurements, 15.3% and 6.9%; they are not fleet averages.
The custom/DC loss default of 6%, knee at 80% and endpoint at 10% of peak acceptance are illustrative assumptions. They are not manufacturer specifications. Tesla's support page confirms the general high-SOC slowdown, not these numerical parameters.
Available power is constant apart from the modeled battery taper. Use custom power to represent a sustained site limit. The model does not simulate intermittent section 14a curtailment.
Three-rate shares are shares of billed energy. One price mix is reused for the session and annual mileage; changing seasonal or public/home charging mixes requires a separate scenario.
Metric and US consumption fields are independent scenarios. US gallons are used; the physical unit switch converts distances and other supported units without changing the calculation.
Enter battery-side consumption for an onboard display, or billed consumption for wall-to-wheel/EPA values. The same selected charging efficiency is assumed for annual battery-side consumption.

Where it applies

For 0–100% displayed SOC with target at least the starting value; positive usable capacity and positive charging powers; losses below 100%; taper knee below 100% and a positive finite endpoint. Input ranges constrain practical planning cases, not a validated vehicle envelope. Time estimates are particularly uncertain near full charge and for cold, hot, aged or unconditioned batteries.

German rules follow the Bundesnetzagentur section 14a framework (BK6-22-300 and BK8-22/010-A), checked 25 October 2026. The scenarios require an eligible controllable installation with a connection rating above 4.2 kW, distinct from a temporary power limit. Module 2 needs separate metering/settlement of eligible consumption; the network energy charge is reduced to 40% between the network operator and supplier. This does not by itself establish a lower customer retail price: pass-through depends on the supply contract. Use Actual retail price for the amount you pay, including any existing discount. Use Before reduction only with an unreduced retail price and confirmation of full additional supplier pass-through. Partial or unconfirmed pass-through must be represented by the actual customer price, without another deduction. Module 3 has three DSO network-rate periods, requires an intelligent metering system and is combined with Module 1, not Module 2. Module 1 credit is per market location: allocate only the EV's share after any applicable caps, pro-rating and extra metering/control costs. Eligibility is not determined by this calculator. Check current law and local operator terms.

All price defaults are illustrative scenarios as of the review date, not published retail offers. No taxes are added automatically. Annual and per-distance results exclude fixed electricity/network charges (including any Module 2 waiver), subscriptions, session or idle fees, infrastructure cost and non-energy vehicle costs. Negative prices or an allocated credit can produce negative modeled net energy spending; this is not a full utility-bill calculation.

A socket energy estimate does not establish that the outlet can carry a continuous charging load. Installation, protection and inspection belong to a qualified electrical professional. Check the standard in force and local installation requirements.

References

[ADAC, Charging losses in electric cars, updated 6 August 2026](https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/elektromobilitaet/laden/ladeverluste-elektroauto-studie/) — AC loss measurements and measurement conditions; attached source s1.
[Tesla, Supercharging support](https://www.tesla.com/support/charging/supercharging) — high-SOC slowdown and dependence on battery conditions; attached source s2.
[Bundesnetzagentur, Integration of controllable consumption devices](https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Vportal/Energie/SteuerbareVBE/artikel.html) — section 14a Modules 1, 2 and 3; framework checked 25 October 2026; attached source s3.
[California Air Resources Board, DriveClean electric car charging](https://driveclean.ca.gov/electric-car-charging) — historical 40 kWh charging and 25 mpg gasoline worked examples; attached source s4. Example prices are not current offers.
[DOE/NREL, Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Consumers, February 2015, NREL/BR-5400-63599](https://www.nlr.gov/docs/fy15osti/63599.pdf) — attached source s5, p. 15: 20 kWh at 12.3 cents/kWh costs $2.46; p. 5: 30 mpg gasoline example. Historical examples validate arithmetic, not present-day prices.
[EpiSensor, EV charging time and power-limit calculator, updated 1 October 2026](https://episensor.com/knowledge-base/tools/ev-charging-time) — published constant-power worked example: 60 kWh, 20–80%, 7.4 kW, 90% efficiency, 5.405 h; attached source s6.

Inputs

Input	Symbol	Unit	Default
Charging connection AC power is at the electricity meter; DC power is at the billed connector output. This is an energy estimate, not an installation assessment.	`charger`		AC wallbox — 11 kW
Usable battery capacity Use usable capacity, not the gross pack rating.	`C_use`	kWh	60
Starting state of charge The battery's displayed starting charge.	`soc_start`	%	20
Target state of charge Equal start and target gives zero time and energy.	`soc_target`	%	80
Available charging power Power available after any site limit or load sharing; use the appropriate AC-meter or DC-connector boundary.	`P_custom`	kW	7.4
Vehicle AC charging limit Maximum AC input accepted by the onboard charger.	`P_ac`	kW	11
Vehicle DC charging limit Maximum connector input; use a realistic warm-battery limit.	`P_dc`	kW	150
Enter my own AC charging losses Otherwise the ADAC VW ID.7 measurements are used: 15.3% at a socket and 6.9% at an 11 kW wallbox.	`loss_override`		false
Losses as a share of billed energy For custom or DC charging, enter a measured or assumed loss. DC excludes conversion losses upstream of the billed output meter. A 6% default is an illustrative scenario.	`loss_user`	%	6
Charging profile A planning approximation, not a calibrated vehicle charging curve. Temperature, voltage rise, balancing and vehicle software can change actual time.	`profile`		Constant-power stage, then CV-inspired taper
Taper begins at Vehicle acceptance starts falling here. Charger power can remain constant longer if the charger is below the vehicle limit.	`soc_knee`	%	80
Acceptance at 100% of displayed charge Percentage of the vehicle's peak input power remaining at the endpoint. This finite cutoff avoids an infinite mathematical charge time.	`tail_pct`	%	10
Electricity tariff Use one currency (CU), including taxes and network charges consistently. For Module 2, Actual retail price means what you pay after any passed-on discount; it is used unchanged. To calculate an additional reduction, choose Before reduction, enter unreduced retail prices and confirm full supplier pass-through.	`tariff`		One all-in energy rate
All-in electricity price Enter your actual all-in billed price, including any discount already passed on. For Module 2 Before reduction only, enter the unreduced price and confirm full supplier pass-through. Never deduct Module 2 twice. Negative all-in prices are permitted.	`rate_flat`	CU/kWh	0.3
Low-period all-in price Enter the actual all-in low-period retail price, not just a wholesale price. For Module 2 Before reduction, enter the unreduced price and confirm full supplier pass-through; an already discounted price belongs in Actual mode. Module 3 prices include its low network tariff.	`rate_low`	CU/kWh	0.2
Standard-period all-in price Enter the actual all-in standard-period retail price. For Module 2 Before reduction, enter the unreduced price and confirm full supplier pass-through; an already discounted price belongs in Actual mode. Include taxes and the applicable network tariff.	`rate_std`	CU/kWh	0.3
High-period all-in price Enter the actual all-in high-period retail price. For Module 2 Before reduction, enter the unreduced price and confirm full supplier pass-through; an already discounted price belongs in Actual mode. Module 3 prices include its high network tariff.	`rate_high`	CU/kWh	0.4
Energy bought at the low rate Share of billed kWh, not share of plugged-in time. The standard-rate share is the remainder.	`share_low`	%	60
Energy bought at the high rate Low and high energy shares together must not exceed 100%.	`share_high`	%	10
German section 14a scenario Framework checked 25 October 2026. Eligibility, metering and DSO prices must be checked locally. Customer benefit depends on the supply contract. Module 2 defaults to your actual retail price without another deduction. Module 3 needs the three-rate tariff.	`grid_module`		No section 14a adjustment
Module 2 retail-price basis Actual: enter the price you really pay, including any discount already passed on; no further deduction is made. Use this also if pass-through is unknown or partial. Before reduction: enter the unreduced all-in price, then confirm that your supplier passes on the full reduction.	`m2_price_basis`		Actual retail price — use unchanged
My supplier confirms full Module 2 pass-through Confirm only if your supply contract or supplier confirms the full 60% network energy-charge reduction is additional to every entered retail price. If the discount is already included, is partial or is unconfirmed, choose Actual retail price and enter what you pay instead.	`m2_passed_on`		false
Network energy charge before Module 2 Full, unreduced gross network energy charge already included in every entered pre-reduction retail price. The calculator deducts 60% only after full supplier pass-through is confirmed. Use Actual retail price for an existing, partial or unconfirmed discount.	`network_rate`	CU/kWh	0.1
Annual credit allocated to this EV Illustrative only. Enter the eligible DSO credit allocated to this EV, net of any extra metering or control fees. Do not allocate the same credit twice.	`annual_credit`	CU/year	120
Consumption convention This selector changes the consumption and pump-price fields. The platform's metric/US unit switch also converts physical distances.	`road_units`		Metric — per 100 km, litres
EV consumption measurement Use billed energy for EPA wall-to-wheel figures or measurements at the charging meter. Do not add charging losses twice.	`energy_basis`		Battery-side / onboard display — add charging losses
EV energy per 100 km Energy over 100 km, on the selected measurement basis.	`ev_metric`	kWh	18
EV energy per 100 miles Energy over 100 miles, on the selected measurement basis.	`ev_us`	kWh	29
Combustion-car fuel per 100 km Use realistic fuel use over the same driving conditions.	`fuel_metric`	L	6.5
Combustion-car fuel economy US miles per US gallon; imperial gallons are not used.	`mpg_us`	mi/gal	30
Fuel price per litre Use the same currency and tax basis as electricity prices.	`price_litre`	CU/L	1.8
Fuel price per US gallon Use US gallons and the same currency as electricity.	`price_gallon`	CU/USgal	3.5
Annual driving distance Annual energy costs use this distance. Purchase price, depreciation, insurance and maintenance are excluded.	`D_year`	km	15000

Results

With the default inputs above, the calc gives:

Result	Value
Estimated charging time	3.52 h
Session energy cost	11.6 CU
Billed charging energy	38.67 kWh
Energy stored	36 kWh
Charging energy lost	2.67 kWh
EV running energy cost	5.8 CU / 100 km
Combustion fuel cost	11.7 CU / 100 km
Annual energy saving with allocated credit	885 CU/year
Annual EV energy cost after allocated credit	870 CU/year
Break-even effective electricity price	0.605 CU/kWh
Extra time from taper	-0 h

Checked against sources

Each case below was calculated by this calc and agrees with the value from its source (within the tolerance where one is shown).

DOE: 20 kWh at 12.3 cents/kWh

Source: DOE/NREL, Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Consumers, February 2015, NREL/BR-5400-63599, attached s5 p.15. Published ideal 20 kWh full-charge example costs $2.46 at $0.123/kWh. The source neglects charging losses, so this case explicitly uses zero losses; it does not validate a real vehicle charging curve or current prices. https://www.nlr.gov/docs/fy15osti/63599.pdf

Inputs: Usable battery capacity = 20 kWh; Starting state of charge = 0 %; Target state of charge = 100 %; Enter my own AC charging losses = yes; Losses as a share of billed energy = 0 %; Charging profile = Constant power — ideal lower-bound time; All-in electricity price = 0.123 CU/kWh; Consumption convention = US — per 100 miles, US gallons; EV energy per 100 miles = 20 kWh; the others as above.

Result	Source	This calc
Session energy cost	2.46 CU	2.46 CU
EV energy cost over the comparison distance	2.46 CU	2.46 CU
Billed charging energy	20 kWh	20 kWh

CARB: 40 kWh public Level 2 energy cost

Source: California Air Resources Board, DriveClean, Electric Car Charging, Public Charging Costs: 40 kWh Nissan LEAF example at $0.30/kWh gives $12. This is the source's simplified no-loss arithmetic, so zero losses are selected. Historical illustrative prices, not present-day offers. https://driveclean.ca.gov/electric-car-charging

Inputs: Usable battery capacity = 40 kWh; Starting state of charge = 0 %; Target state of charge = 100 %; Enter my own AC charging losses = yes; Losses as a share of billed energy = 0 %; Charging profile = Constant power — ideal lower-bound time; the others as above.

Result	Source	This calc
Session energy cost	12 CU	12 CU

CARB: 150 miles, 25 US mpg and $4.30/gallon

Source: CARB DriveClean, Electric Car Charging, Cost to Charge at Home: a 25 mpg gasoline car at $4.30/US gallon costs about $26 for 150 miles. The exact product is $25.80; tolerance is $0.25 for published rounding. D_year is set to 150 miles expressed as km solely to test that distance using the annual-distance field. https://driveclean.ca.gov/electric-car-charging

Inputs: Consumption convention = US — per 100 miles, US gallons; Combustion-car fuel economy = 25 mi/gal; Fuel price per US gallon = 4.3 CU/USgal; Annual driving distance = 241.4 km; the others as above.

Result	Source	This calc
Annual combustion fuel cost	26 ± 0.25 CU/year	25.8 CU/year

EpiSensor: 60 kWh, 20–80%, 7.4 kW and 90% efficiency

Source: EpiSensor manufacturer knowledge-base tool, EV charging time and power-limit calculator, updated 1 October 2026: published example has 60 kWh usable, 20–80% SOC, charger/site limit 7.4 kW, vehicle limit 11 kW, efficiency 90%, average fraction 100%, 36 kWh stored, 40 kWh input and 5.405 h. This validates a constant-power worked example, not the assumed tapered profile. https://episensor.com/knowledge-base/tools/ev-charging-time

Inputs: Charging connection = Custom AC power; Losses as a share of billed energy = 10 %; Charging profile = Constant power — ideal lower-bound time; the others as above.

Result	Source	This calc
Energy stored	36 kWh	36 kWh
Billed charging energy	40 kWh	40 kWh
Estimated charging time	5.405 h	5.405 h

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