Welcome to LeafMyLife where I share information about my life’s happenings. This blog isn’t a dedicated blog to my Nissan Leaf but the beginning of sharing important life information that actually happened. I find that as many information on the web is all calculated and estimated, no body really knows how much things cost until you start using them.
If you have not started following my Instagram @shotontarget , that is another a avenue where I share interesting information of my electric vehicle’s charging cost. I’ve put them in a story highlight on my profile.
On to this post where I detail a few charging sessions and their cost respectively. This would be vital information when calculating how much does it really cost to charge a electric vehicle. Also keeping in mind that this is a car with a 40KW battery.
Shell Recharge (most expensive charger)
I’ve been charging here consistently because this charger has free parking and it is also the nearest charger to my residence.
With $0.55 per KWh it is no joke (expensive) but if you look at the cost of charging here it isn’t that bad because you have free parking and you don’t need to add on parking fees.
On this day I charged my car and from pretty empty to almost full.
Battery Percentage: 2% to 97%.
Charging Cost:18.36
Parking cost: Free (9.21am to 2.54pm)
Summary: I go for chargers most convenient and it just so happens that Shell recharge is right nearby my place, I have yet to use a BlueSG charger that I have at my multi-story car park because I’m not going to pay for a subscription. Here are some pros and cons charging at Shell Recharge:
- Free parking
- Not sheltered parking
- Expensive charging cost
- Only 1 charging lot available (fight fight fight)
Even though this is the most expensive cost to charge my car, I have no choice because the charging stations are limited. I’ll say choose to get a EV only if you have about 2 chargers nearby your home. You don’t wanna get stuck because 1 of the charger is down for maintenance (happened to me before)
Connextion Charger (SP GROUP)
Charging at this location isn’t the best but it’s so far the cheapest way to charge my car because even with the parking fee included, the cost is still cheaper than charging at a Shell recharge station.
There is also pros and cons to charging at SP chargers. I’ll just list them below.
- Parking fee required
- Sheltered parking
- Limited to 6pm to 7am because only during this period parking is a fixed rate
- Cheaper than most Greenlots Chargers
- Multiple charging lots available
Battery Percentage: 11% – 98%
Charging Cost: $12.74
Parking cost: $3 (6.05pm to 11.47pm)
SP charger, 12 Mar 2021
In summary, the cost of charging at this station is cheaper but negligible. It really depends on whether you have a convenient charger to use. In Singapore, the cost of charging varies but not by much. If there is a charger at your destination, use it! It will probably be taken up more often in the following year 2023 onwards as more vehicles become electric.
Ikea Alexendra / Ikea Tampines
What was my favorite home shopping mall is now my #1 favorite mall. (Period)
Everyone knows that these are great places to shop for home accessories and enjoy a meal but did you know they are supporting the environment by giving you free EV Chargers on location while you shop and eat?
The 2 locations are relatively similar, their Tampines brunch is straightforward where they have free parking and chargers on-premise while the Alexendra brunch has to “pay” for parking. This is easy to avoid as long as you make a $5 purchase, they easily give out their parking coupons to park at the location for 3hour periods and it is super easy to find something to buy at Ikea. Just ask your wife what she needs from Ikea and I’m sure you have a long shopping list with no end in sight.
Recently Ikea Tampines also increased the number of chargers! There used to be 2 chargers but now they seem to have increased it to 6! This shopping mall is ideal for an EV owner and you will definitely see many vehicles around there charging while getting a meal.🍲
Summary
The best charger is the one closest to your convenience. If you have not bought an electric vehicle (EV) yet, have a look at the environment around you and notice whether there are EV chargers or charging opportunities at your destinations. Look into downloading this app, PlugShare, and it will be able to show you where are chargers in your vicinity. It would also be good to start calculating how many KM you travel a week to be able to calculate how long the battery will last for you.
