Charging a GMC Hummer EV to 100% Can Cost You Over $100
With a battery over three times larger than most other EVs, the Hummer EV is a costly vehicle to charge.
The GMC Hummer EV features a gigantic battery pack, and that can be mighty costly to charge when you're out on the road.
As covered by InsideEVs, Kyle Conner from Out of Spec Reviews charged a Hummer EV from zero to 100% on an Electrify America charger. The GMC Hummer EV has a stated range of 329 miles thanks to a 246 kWh battery with 212 kWh usable capacity. In the test, it took 2 hours and 32 minutes to fully charge the battery at a 350 kW charging station. The charger reported delivering a total of 224 kWh of electricity, suggesting charging losses of approximately 5%.
At Electrify America's standing rates of $0.43/kWh, that comes to a total of $96.32 before taxes and fees. That rounds up to over $100 for a full charge, all things considered. That drops to $69.44 before taxes for Electrify America Pass+ members, who are only charged $0.31/kWh for a $4 monthly fee. Amusingly, though, Conner was able to score a complimentary charging session, saving himself big money in the process.
Alternatively, some Electrify America stations charge per minute rather than per unit of electricity consumed. At those stations, it's possible to fully charge the Hummer EV for around $50, or $37 for Pass+ members, given rates of $0.32/min and $0.24/min respectively. That's assuming the Hummer EV is charging at full speed on a 350 kW charger, of course.
Of course, charging at home can be a far cheaper option. At the national average electricity rate of $0.13/kWh, it would only cost approximately $30 to fully charge the Hummer EV. In a state like Colorado with cheaper rates of $0.07/kWh, that gets down to just $16 or so.
The high cost simply comes down to the Hummer EV's gigantic battery. Most other EVs sporting over 300 miles of range make do with batteries on the order of 75 to 120 kWh. Good examples include the Kia EV6 and the Tesla Model 3. The Hummer EV's kerb weight of 9,046 lbs has something to do with that. It simply takes a lot more energy to accelerate all that heft. It's just not as efficient as other electric vehicles on the market.
To put it in perspective, imagine paying $100 to travel 329 miles. At the current national average gas price of $3.76 for regular, that would pay for 26.6 gallons of fuel. Divide 329 miles by 26.6 gallons, and you get 12.4 mpg. Thus, if you're paying the max rate to charge your Hummer EV with Electrify America, you're paying as much as you would be to drive an ancient gas guzzler.
Clearly, when it comes to the Hummer EV, the key is to get a cheap charging plan, or to simply charge at home. That battery absolutely loves to guzzle down electrons (note: this isn't how electricity works) and you might have to pay through the nose to keep it humming down the highway.
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