California residents band together to crowdfund EV infrastructure

More and more drivers across the country are looking to make the switch to electric vehicles as fuel prices skyrocket. To make that easier, longtime EV owners and charging companies alike are pushing to expand the U.S. charging network.

One recent example took place in April in Sacramento. According to the Sacramento Bee, 10 new EV chargers were unveiled in the western part of California’s capital as a result of crowdfunding.

Through local fundraising efforts and state rebates, residents raised more than $1 million to build a new EV charging station at a local car wash. The Bee reported that estimates suggest the station will offset the equivalent of about 1.2 million gallons of gasoline.

While this is a move in the right direction, making public chargers more accessible in a major U.S. city, EV drivers typically save the most when charging at home.

Regardless of where you charge, avoiding the fuel and maintenance costs of gas vehicles typically leads to significant savings for EV drivers — but those savings can be even greater with an at-home Level 2 charger like those offered through Qmerit.

Qmerit estimates that while fast public charging can cost up to $0.60 per kWh, at-home charging can bring that cost down to as low as $0.16 per kWh.

Robert Hymes, chief development officer at Mynt Systems and a key contributor to the new charger program, said switching to an EV has reduced the cost of his long commute to about $7 a day.

“Commuters are freaking out as they watch their driving costs double overnight,” Hymes said, per the Bee. “It’s frustrating, and it feels powerless, but it doesn’t need to be that way.”

While some drivers remain concerned about public charging availability, the California Energy Commission estimated that, with more than 200,000 public charging plugs, the state now has more charging points than gas nozzles.

If those figures still don’t ease concerns, a Level 2 at-home charger can cover most daily driving needs while taking advantage of lower residential electricity rates

If you’re curious about how much you can save with an at-home charging solution, connect with the experts at Qmerit for free estimates on charging installations.

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