Electric vehicles are becoming more popular, with new models hitting the market yearly. The EV market has significantly grown over the last decade, and more growth is expected in the coming years— increasing the number of those owning an EV in New Hampshire. The EV revenue is expected to reach $457.60 bn this year. The top EV manufacturers like Tesla, Rivian, Lucid Motors, and NIO are redefining the market with innovative models and advanced features for convenient rides.
Modern EVs are more powerful, easy to drive, quiet, and low maintenance. Owning an EV in New Hampshire is now easier than ever because numerous incentives are available to EV owners. Charging stations are also available across the state for convenience. But how does New Hampshire compare to other states regarding owning an EV? Let’s dive into more details here.
New Hampshire Charging Infrastructure
The growing number of electric vehicles across New Hampshire requires full access to charging stations. While most people can charge their vehicles at home, public charging stations provide convenience and flexibility, especially for people without chargers or on long trips. Building a robust charging infrastructure is inevitable as more people embrace sustainability on emission-free engines. People will be confident that they will never be out of charge.
How Many Charging Stations Does New Hampshire Have?
New Hampshire now has over 467 public charging stations for electric vehicles distributed across different cities in the state.
Types of Charging Stations
There are various EV charging stations in New Hampshire, but Level 2 charging stations are the highest in number.
Home charging stations
Homeowners in New Hampshire can invest in Level 1 charging stations to charge their EV batteries from their homes. However, these chargers take the most time to charge a battery as they can only be plugged into a standard outlet and use a 120v AC plug. They also don’t require any installation of additional equipment and give 2 to 5 miles of range per hour of charging. The good thing is that New Hampshire offers incentives for installing a home charging station.
Level 2 EV charging stations
These are used for both residential and commercial charging stations. Residential charging stations use a 120v plug, and commercial stations use a 240v plug. These chargers deliver 10 to 25 miles range per hour of charging and can fully charge an electric car battery in as little as 2 hours. This makes them an ideal option for homeowners who need a fast charge and businesses who want to have quick and efficient charging stations for customers.
DC fast chargers
They are also known as level 3 chargers, DC fast chargers can offer 60 to 80 miles of range in just 20 minutes of charging. However, these chargers are less common in New Hampshire than level 2 chargers, requiring highly specialized high-power equipment to install, use and maintain. Hence, they are only used in commercial or industrial settings.
Tesla Superchargers
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Tesla has its superchargers scattered all through New Hampshire. There are more plugs in each Tesla station than in other DC fast chargers stations.
Free Stations
New Hampshire has multiple free levels 1, 2, and 3 charging stations. The free chargers are an incentive to many who want to own EVs. Most of the DC fast chargers are also free, and for those that charge, the cost is almost the same as Level 2 chargers.
Where Are The Charging Stations Located?
Charging stations are spread across cities such as Andover, Bartlett, Bedford, Bow, Brentwood, Carroll, Chesterfield, and Concord. Claremont-Lebanon, Manchester-Nashua, and Concord are the cities with the most EV charging stations in New Hampshire.
The state has taken the initiative to expand its public charging stations to accommodate the increasing number of EVs.
Although access to the stations is still challenging, especially in rural areas, the federal government is determined to expand the EV charging infrastructure in rural regions for equal access. Publicly accessible charging stations are significant in achieving a massive transition to EVs.
Cost of Owning an EV in New Hampshire
Electrified transport will be inevitable in the near future. The transition to all-electric cars is necessary. Gas-powered vehicles are becoming more expensive due to high fuel and maintenance costs. Experts find electric cars less costly to own and operate. When we consider the cost of fuel, environmental cost, and repair costs, it’s safe to say that the actual cost of owning electric cars is filled with benefits for consumers, producers, and the environment.
However, looking at it objectively, the initial cost of owning an EV in New Hampshire is high compared to gas-powered vehicles. The cars take too long to recharge, unlike gas-powered cars, which take less than 3 minutes to refill to capacity. Electric vehicles use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and take about 30 minutes to 12 hours to fully charge.
Here is an electricity cost of owning EVs based on ownership reviews for top EV models today:
Tesla Model Y
Model Y is arguably the top-selling electric car in the world. Teslas come with a relatively slow base charger. Besides its premium features, it has high acceleration reaching 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. Its top speed is 3.5 miles per hour, and it can go over 330 miles on a single charge.
Besides its relatively slower base charger, charging your car overnight at home is cost-effective. The cost will depend on your daily driving and how long you charge your car. The average Tesla Model Y charge is about $23.7 in New Hampshire.
F-150 lightning
Ford F-150 Lightning is an all-electric truck with excellent acceleration, premium features, and quality built. Considering charging is $.304 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in New Hampshire, it costs $39.82 for a Ford F-150 Lightning 131 kWh battery to charge to full capacity.
Hyundai Ioniq 5
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Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a fascinating electric SUV with a classic car design that feels futuristic. It accelerates from 0-100 in 5.2 seconds and has an impressive range of 430 km. The rear-wheel drive features a single electric motor, and the flagship all-wheel drive model has two electric motors, one in the front and one back. The interior is spectacular, with much storage, legroom, and headroom. The car has a 72.6 kWh, and going by the New Hampshire charging rates, it will cost $22.07 to attain full charge.
New Hampshire Electric Vehicle Incentives
Many states provide incentives such as subsidies to encourage drivers to utilize electric vehicles, and these programs can make electric vehicles more accessible to individuals. With the state’s EV incentive schemes, drivers in New Hampshire who own or lease an EV can save up to $1,600. New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) offers the following rebates to electric vehicle buyers in the state:
- $600 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV)
- $300 for electric motorcycles (EM)
- $1,000 for battery electric vehicles (BEV)
- $300 per charger for installing up to two level 2 charging stations
You might receive up to $1,600 in rebates by installing one BEV and two charging stations in your home. You can also save even more money using power at lower time-of-use (TOU) rates. Equally, you will pay less if you charge your electric car during off-peak hours for energy use.
Final Thoughts on Owning an EV in New Hampshire
Owning an EV in New Hampshire is much easier due to the government’s incentivized programs to motivate the transition to a fully electric future. Although the cost of charge in the state is higher than in other states, it’s still affordable compared to gas-powered vehicles. Charging stations are no longer an issue as more are installed in almost every city. As the focus toward an all-electric future intensifies, we expect a more streamlined charging infrastructure and rates for EV owners.
Breaking EV News
June 8, 2023 — Finding a charging station in New Hampshire and across the U.S. is about to get easier for owners of Ford and General Motors (GM) EVs. That’s because, as of the start of 2024, they’ll be able to use an adaptor to charge at 12,000 Tesla Superchargers. And, starting in 2025, both Ford and GM EVs will feature Tesla’s North American Charging Standard connector.
This collaboration will likely lead to a standard North American charging connector.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com.
