California EV driver questions public charging rates as Level 2 hits 0.50 dollars per kilowatt hour

A California electric vehicle owner has sparked online debate after highlighting that public Level 2 charging rates can reach 0.50 dollars per kilowatt hour, nearly double their home rate of 0.29 dollars per kilowatt hour. The driver, posting on Reddit, suggested 0.30 dollars per kilowatt hour should be the limit for public charging at sites where vehicles are left for more than two hours. Commenters noted that most EV drivers who charge primarily at home view public charging costs differently, with many willing to pay premiums for DC fast charging on road trips.

Why it matters: The pricing debate underscores the challenge for charge point operators to balance infrastructure costs with user expectations, particularly for slower Level 2 networks competing against home charging economics. As public charging rates climb, operators must justify pricing to retain occasional users while covering deployment and maintenance expenses in high cost markets like California.