North Georgia EV Drivers Overpaying $794 Per Year by Skipping Home Charger Installation, New Study Finds

North Georgia electric vehicle drivers who rely exclusively on public charging stations are leaving an estimated $794 on the table each year, according to The North Georgia EV Home Charging Cost Study, commissioned by Car Charger Specialists, a licensed electrical contractor and Tesla Certified Installer based in Oakwood, Georgia.

The study draws on published data from Georgia Power, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the EPA. For the roughly 85,050 registered EV drivers in Georgia, the report finds that installing a dedicated hardwired Level 2 home charger can be a fast-payback home improvement.

After applying a $300 Georgia Power rebate for qualified installations, the report models a net installation cost between $450 and $1,450. At $794 in annual savings versus public Level 2 charging, the charger pays for itself in 1.1 to 1.9 years in the scenarios modeled.

The average North Georgia EV driver is modeled at approximately 13,500 miles per year. Using the EPA's efficiency benchmark of 28 kWh per 100 miles for mid-size battery electric vehicles, that translates to roughly 3,780 kWh in annual charging energy.

At Atlanta-area public Level 2 stations, that energy costs approximately $0.30 per kWh, or $1,134 per year. Charged at home on Georgia Power's off-peak EV rate of approximately $0.09 per kWh, the same energy costs about $340 annually. The report notes that costs can be higher for drivers who regularly use DC fast chargers.

The study also surfaces a battery-health consideration. DC fast chargers are useful for road trips but generate more heat inside the battery pack when used as a daily charging method. The report cites manufacturer documentation recommending Level 2 home charging for everyday use.