EV Charge Charging at home in North Carolina is still cheap: $42 per 1,000 miles in a Tesla Model Y at 15.16¢ per kWh, a little over four cents a mile. A 30-mpg car would burn around $131 of gas for the same miles.
Updated October 18, 2026 · Electricity: EIA July 2026 · Gas: EIA week of October 12, 2026 · How we calculate
What North Carolina drivers pay to charge at home
| Vehicle (EPA efficiency) | Per 1,000 miles | Per year (12,000 mi) |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD (27.5 kWh/100 mi) | $42 | $500 |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV AWD (32.6 kWh/100 mi) | $49 | $593 |
| Ford F-150 Lightning 4WD ER1 (47.9 kWh/100 mi) | $73 | $872 |
| Gas car, 30 mpg | $131 | $1,572 |
What’s going on with electricity prices in North Carolina
North Carolina is still one of the cheaper states for electricity (15.16¢ per kWh), but it is getting expensive fast: up 13.4% in a year, the sixth-largest increase in the country.
Even after that jump, charging a Model Y here costs about $42 for 1,000 miles, against roughly $131 in gas for a 30-mpg car. The savings are real, around $1,070 a year. If rates keep climbing at this pace, though, an off-peak plan will matter more each year.
North Carolina vs. its neighbors
| State | Price per kWh | Per 1,000 miles (Model Y) | vs. North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | $42 | — |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | $38 | -10% |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | $43 | +2% |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | $45 | +7% |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | $48 | +16% |
North Carolina is cheaper than Georgia and Virginia, and close to South Carolina; only Tennessee (13.71¢) clearly beats it.
How to pay less to charge in North Carolina
Duke Energy serves most of North Carolina and offers residential time-of-use rates in which off-peak hours are priced below the standard rate. With prices rising fast here, shifting charging to off-peak hours is the simplest way to keep your EV costs where they were.
Duke Energy’s residential time-of-use options are described on its North Carolina pages. Move most of your charging to off-peak hours and check the effect in the calculator.