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Some stories quietly creep up on you and flip your assumptions on their head. That’s exactly what happened earlier today as I was scrolling through the Toyota bZ4X Club Facebook group. Just when I thought I had a handle on EV ownership costs, I stumbled on a post so surprising, it made me stop and re-read it. If you’ve been side-eyeing electric vehicles wondering whether they’re really cheaper to run than gas cars, this might be the post that shifts your thinking.
Angel Myers wrote the following:
“We have been driving the 2025 Toyota bZ4X Limited for about 6 weeks now. Really love how it drives and we are paying about 1 cent per mile for the electricity. The car saves us money and it’s better for our planet. Can’t beat that!”
One cent per mile. Not ten. Not four. One. That’s a number so low it feels like a typo, until you realize it’s not. For context, most people expect EV charging to be cheaper than gas, but paying just a penny per mile for energy is almost unheard of in today’s high-rate utility environment. So how is Angel pulling this off?
The answer starts with location. Angel lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and charges his bZ4X at home using Level 2 charging during off-peak hours. He’s on a special EV utility rate plan that dramatically cuts the cost of electricity overnight, from midnight to about 8 AM. “We plug it in and charge from midnight to 8 AM,” he explains, “but it is usually fully charged by about 6:30 AM. So 6 and a half hours with about 80 miles left charging to 100%.”
This kind of setup – smart, deliberate, and cost-conscious – highlights a growing trend in EV ownership. Drivers are no longer just plugging in wherever they can. Many are learning how to game the system a little, charging during off-peak times, using their own solar, or switching to Level 2 setups to fully optimize both time and cost.
It’s a sharp contrast to what we hear in stories like the ones in this deep dive into why public EV fast charging is slower and costlier than many realize. While some drivers are dealing with frustrating delays and unchecked fees at public chargers, others like Angel are managing their home setup in a way that pays real dividends.
Still, not everyone is experiencing such low rates. Group member Jim Goring commented, a bit baffled, “How much is electricity where you live!? I love the car too, but the price per kWh here puts cost to drive only a little less than ICE.”
That’s when Robert LaFlame from Canada jumped in. “I fully recharge for about $6.50 CND.” Even more eye-opening, Mervin Steg broke it down:
“Some utilities have TOU [Time Of Use] rates where charging a car at nights is cheaper. Ontario, Canada, for example, has mandated the electrical companies get their TOU rates down to 2.5 cents per kWh. That’s 1.8 cents per kWh (USD). Those states/companies that have delayed upgrades to infrastructure and generation and kicked the can down the road face higher costs.”
The contrast is clear. Some regions are seeing shockingly low charging costs, while others are stuck dealing with peak-hour pricing that eats into EV savings. It’s another reason why charging an electric vehicle in public can sometimes cost triple what fueling a gas car does, something that catches many new EV owners off guard.
Back to Angel’s post. Not only is he enjoying one of the lowest cost-per-mile rates I’ve ever heard of, but he’s also putting real miles on the car. “Some days I’m driving close to 140 miles for work,” he says. That’s not your typical low-mileage commuter EV use case. This is a full-time daily driver, working hard and still coming in at just one penny per mile.
Another commenter, Pedro Hernandes, chimed in with a practical question. “How long does it take to charge overnight? I drive about 120 miles per day and considering one, I already have a 240 socket for EV in my garage.”
Angel’s experience, charging from empty to full overnight, with a 240V setup, confirms that Pedro’s daily driving needs would be easily supported. That’s a useful real-world data point for anyone still wondering if these cars can keep up with high-mileage schedules.
Steve Fung added his experience too. “That’s some cheap electricity and efficient mileage. I’m paying about $0.17/kWh (inclusive of all charges) and getting 2.6 miles/kWh. That works out to $0.065/mile or 6.5 cents per mile.” Still decent, but clearly not quite in the penny-a-mile club.
So what’s the underlying story here? It’s not just about the bZ4X itself, though the 2025 Toyota bZ4X is better than you’ve been told, despite early skepticism from critics and owners alike. This is about how the cost to drive electric can vary so widely, and how a bit of planning can change the entire financial picture.
If anything, this conversation is a good reminder that EV ownership isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some models and setups can be shockingly cheap to run, while others can feel like you’re paying nearly as much as a gas car, or more. In fact, some EVs like the Subaru Solterra and even the Toyota bZ4X have been rated among the least satisfying electric SUVs, depending on who’s driving and how. But for Angel, the bZ4X Limited is proving to be surprisingly pleasant, cost-effective, and more than capable of keeping up with a full work schedule.
There’s a bigger concept at play here: the idea of utility-level planning becoming a part of daily consumer life. A growing number of drivers are thinking like mini energy managers, scheduling their usage, analyzing their rates, and making smarter choices. In some cases, this requires tools like smart home chargers or energy usage monitors, not expensive products, but ones that align consumer habits with grid efficiencies.
This brings up a quiet ethical wrinkle too. If charging costs can be as low as 1 cent per mile for some and 25 cents per mile for others, are we creating a system where affordability is based purely on zip code or access to home infrastructure? There’s something to be said for how equitable or inequitable these systems are becoming, especially as more households are encouraged – or pressured – into electrifying their transportation.
Before you go, if you’re just starting your EV journey and thinking about home charging, you may want to read this story about a driver who tracked every kilowatt on a Level 1 charger and discovered he never needed to install Level 2 at all. It’s a great counterpoint to Angel’s story and shows just how flexible EV charging can be, depending on your lifestyle.
Also, if you’re weighing your first EV, you may want to check out this opinion piece explaining why some people are starting to question whether EVs other than Tesla are still a good buy.
Now, over to you:
- What’s your real-world cost per mile for your electric car, and how does it compare to what Angel Myers shared?
- Have you figured out any clever home charging hacks or rate plans that dramatically lower your EV charging costs?
Let us know in the comments below. Your experience could help someone else make a smarter decision.
Armen Hareyan is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. He has more than a decade of expertise in the automotive industry with a special interest in Tesla and electric vehicles.
Image sources: Angel Myers and Belal Dwaikat from the above-mentioned public group shared in the discussion.
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Source: torquenews.com
