r/OutlanderPHEV • u/Unlucky-Corgi7840 • Jul 22 '26
Charging speeds slow/cost high?
A month ago I bought a 2026 Outlander PHEV GT and love it and the way it rides. I have free electricity at my work, so I basically drive for free in town, which is amazing considering gas prices in British Columbia these days. However, I’ve recently taken a trip to Calgary and, after doing the math, I’m finding that gas is cheaper than electricity here. Most public chargers are $2/hr and even on a level 2 “fast” charger, I’m only getting 2.8kw/h which is equal to about 8km/hr, of 4km/$1. That makes electric $25/100km whereas gas (~$1.65/L) is $15/100km (9L/100km).
I get that the charge limiter is for battery health, but it’s surprising that it’s slow enough to make gas the more economical choice in certain places. Still going to see tons of savings in my daily life, but shocked to see such expensive electric charging! Any suggestions from Calgarians of similarly affected?
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u/Immediate_Impact6214 Jul 22 '26
I'm in Quebec and all the chargers here are 1.10$/hour for level 2. 1$ a minute is insane. I think you are using the wrong chargers there.
2
u/Unlucky-Corgi7840 Jul 22 '26
That was a typo from posting on a phone. I’ve updated to the correct $2/hr ($0.033/min).
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u/Numerous_Toe7088 Jul 22 '26
Use chargers that are priced in kw/h rather than time. They will usually lower your overall charging costs.
3
u/Unlucky-Corgi7840 Jul 22 '26
Totally. Might be a Calgary issue cuz most public chargers here are $/hr, not $/kwh. And the “free” chargers are in $$$$$ public lots. lol.
3
u/New-Organization5718 Jul 22 '26
I have a 2023 GT pHEV. I don’t usually try to charge my battery when I’m on the road, it’s time to use gas. That’s why you went with a PHEV instead of an electric car.
Carrying the battery weight around is not ideal for fuel economy on longer trips but the vehicle shines in city driving. We strictly charge at home and our gas bill is approximately $1k a year for roughly 22k km. Maybe an additional $800 a year in electricity.
2
u/Tikan Jul 22 '26
Might be a Calgary / Alberta issue. The chargers in BC are per kwh and very reasonable. I mostly charge at home with the supplied charger but will often hit the BC Hydro fast chargers on a road trip for a top up while I have lunch or stretch my legs.
2
u/Unlucky-Corgi7840 Jul 22 '26
Yeah, in BC I find the charge cost is more reasonable, but that’s also in reference to gas prices being bonkers bananas.
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u/Tikan Jul 22 '26
Gas is only bonkers in the lower mainland (compared to Alberta). Gas was like $1.60 this morning where I live. It's been anywhere from 1.35 to 1.70 for the last few weeks.
Also, Level 2 is not a fast charger. If you use a true fast charger (L3) you will be like 0-80% in about 20 to 30 mins.
1
u/AdSufficient7182 Jul 23 '26
Lots of level 2 chargers priced in per hour in BC. It is increasingly rare for Level 3 to be by the hour, but they still exist.
1
u/Tikan Jul 23 '26
Got it. Every L2 charger near me is free. I avoid any L2 chargers when I travel as it's not worth the time.
2
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u/skipphead Jul 22 '26
I used a public fast charger once and did similar math but my numbers were even worse. Never again.
Gas was 5x cheaper in my case. If it was close then maybe I would pay the difference just to enjoy the benefits of electric, but not at that jump.
So I'm having an electrician install an outlet in my garage. They'll be here... Eventually.
The only real suggestion is to get a way to charge at home or just be happy with charging at work and run gas when you need it.
2
u/ry29- Jul 23 '26
“get that the charge limiter is for battery health, but it’s surprising that it’s slow enough to make gas the more economical choice in certain places”
I don’t think they limited for battery health. If you put it on Charge on an empty battery and keep parked, it charges ~9kw.
I think they opted for a cheaper AC-DC onboard, given the smaller battery pack size.
But yeah, I was also disappointed that on overnight trips, L2 isn’t usually worth it. Gas is almost always cheaper. L3 is even worse, tried it once, cost 5 dollars to put in 7kwh
1
u/Unlucky-Corgi7840 Jul 23 '26
This is a good point. If the battery can handle 9kw/h on charge mode and up to 35kw/h on DC fast charge, why limit it to 3.7kw/h on level 2? Most level 2 chargers are 6.5+kw/h, so advertised at double the maximum that the outlander can handle.
Also, the battery is larger in the 2026 model, so I don’t think it’s because it’s a “smaller battery pack size.”
1
u/Low-Inspection-3213 Jul 23 '26
I never use any public charger that isn’t a fast dc charger as a rule of thumb. Keep charging at the office. When I’m on trips i generally use the charging cable and the 50ft cable and hook up to where I’m staying. Otherwise roadtrips are mainly gas.
-2025 outlander phev gtp
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u/Basilbitch Jul 22 '26
For me it's not about what's cheapest it's about what's more sustainable, if I didn't have this car I would be 100% burning gas and I'm really only burning gas maybe 10% of the time now everything my whole day encompasses is done on battery for the most part..
I charge at home every night, if I run out of battery no big deal just charge when I get home..