Watt Mile is paid through affiliate links: if you buy through a link to a brand store, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. No program has accepted the site yet. How we choose.
Pick an e-bike from our check (or enter your own battery), choose your state, and the calculator works out what one charge, one mile and one year of riding cost you in electricity, using the battery size the brand publishes and the residential price the EIA measured in your state. It then puts the same miles next to a car at your gas price.
Example value: enter yours.
Example value: enter your car's figure.
100 % unless you know yours: no store publishes it.
How the calculation works
- Energy for one charge. Battery watt-hours, as printed on the product page, divided by 1,000 gives kWh. When a store prints volts and amp-hours but no watt-hours (Himiway A7, Ride1Up Revv1 EVO and DRT), we multiply them and mark it [calc]. Ride1Up does not print the voltage of the Portola 02 and Vorsa batteries, so the calculator asks you for the Wh.
- Charger losses. Divided by the charging efficiency you set. It starts at 100 %: no store we read publishes one, so we leave it to you rather than guess.
- Price. Times the average residential price in your state for August 2026, from EIA Electric Power Monthly table 5.6.A (released October 23, 2026). Your own bill may be higher or lower, especially with time-of-use rates.
- Per mile. Divided by the brand's advertised maximum range, or by your own miles per charge. The advertised figure is a best case: Aventon's is for a 165 lb rider in Eco on flat pavement, Velotric's for a 187 lb rider in PAS 1. Enter half of it to see a hilly, throttle-heavy commute.
- The car. Regular gasoline for the week of November 2, 2026, from the EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update: the state price for the nine states EIA publishes, otherwise the state's PADD region, divided by the mpg you enter.
Electricity and gas prices by state
| State | Residential electricity, Aug 2026 | Cost of 1 kWh of charging [calc] | Regular gasoline, Nov 2, 2026 | Gas price used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16.33 ¢/kWh | $0.163 | $3.636/gal | Gulf Coast region average |
| Alaska | 29.41 ¢/kWh | $0.294 | $4.771/gal | West Coast less California region average |
| Arizona | 15.05 ¢/kWh | $0.150 | $4.771/gal | West Coast less California region average |
| Arkansas | 14.37 ¢/kWh | $0.144 | $3.636/gal | Gulf Coast region average |
| California | 29.75 ¢/kWh | $0.297 | $5.748/gal | California average |
| Colorado | 17.17 ¢/kWh | $0.172 | $4.068/gal | Colorado average |
| Connecticut | 24.51 ¢/kWh | $0.245 | $4.145/gal | New England region average |
| Delaware | 18.70 ¢/kWh | $0.187 | $4.232/gal | Central Atlantic region average |
| District of Columbia | 25.98 ¢/kWh | $0.260 | $4.232/gal | Central Atlantic region average |
| Florida | 14.99 ¢/kWh | $0.150 | $3.791/gal | Florida average |
| Georgia | 15.90 ¢/kWh | $0.159 | $3.695/gal | Lower Atlantic region average |
| Hawaii | 47.18 ¢/kWh | $0.472 | $4.771/gal | West Coast less California region average |
| Idaho | 13.37 ¢/kWh | $0.134 | $4.213/gal | Rocky Mountain region average |
| Illinois | 19.32 ¢/kWh | $0.193 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Indiana | 17.02 ¢/kWh | $0.170 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Iowa | 17.06 ¢/kWh | $0.171 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Kansas | 15.47 ¢/kWh | $0.155 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Kentucky | 13.80 ¢/kWh | $0.138 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Louisiana | 12.87 ¢/kWh | $0.129 | $3.636/gal | Gulf Coast region average |
| Maine | 32.11 ¢/kWh | $0.321 | $4.145/gal | New England region average |
| Maryland | 21.40 ¢/kWh | $0.214 | $4.232/gal | Central Atlantic region average |
| Massachusetts | 30.48 ¢/kWh | $0.305 | $4.104/gal | Massachusetts average |
| Michigan | 22.99 ¢/kWh | $0.230 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Minnesota | 17.20 ¢/kWh | $0.172 | $4.017/gal | Minnesota average |
| Mississippi | 14.43 ¢/kWh | $0.144 | $3.636/gal | Gulf Coast region average |
| Missouri | 16.02 ¢/kWh | $0.160 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Montana | 15.57 ¢/kWh | $0.156 | $4.213/gal | Rocky Mountain region average |
| Nebraska | 13.54 ¢/kWh | $0.135 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Nevada | 12.72 ¢/kWh | $0.127 | $4.771/gal | West Coast less California region average |
| New Hampshire | 27.64 ¢/kWh | $0.276 | $4.145/gal | New England region average |
| New Jersey | 24.61 ¢/kWh | $0.246 | $4.232/gal | Central Atlantic region average |
| New Mexico | 16.51 ¢/kWh | $0.165 | $3.636/gal | Gulf Coast region average |
| New York | 28.65 ¢/kWh | $0.286 | $4.217/gal | New York average |
| North Carolina | 14.95 ¢/kWh | $0.149 | $3.695/gal | Lower Atlantic region average |
| North Dakota | 13.31 ¢/kWh | $0.133 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Ohio | 19.38 ¢/kWh | $0.194 | $4.090/gal | Ohio average |
| Oklahoma | 14.82 ¢/kWh | $0.148 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Oregon | 15.92 ¢/kWh | $0.159 | $4.771/gal | West Coast less California region average |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77 ¢/kWh | $0.218 | $4.232/gal | Central Atlantic region average |
| Rhode Island | 28.18 ¢/kWh | $0.282 | $4.145/gal | New England region average |
| South Carolina | 15.76 ¢/kWh | $0.158 | $3.695/gal | Lower Atlantic region average |
| South Dakota | 15.15 ¢/kWh | $0.151 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Tennessee | 13.42 ¢/kWh | $0.134 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Texas | 15.91 ¢/kWh | $0.159 | $3.578/gal | Texas average |
| Utah | 13.31 ¢/kWh | $0.133 | $4.213/gal | Rocky Mountain region average |
| Vermont | 23.84 ¢/kWh | $0.238 | $4.145/gal | New England region average |
| Virginia | 17.64 ¢/kWh | $0.176 | $3.695/gal | Lower Atlantic region average |
| Washington | 14.63 ¢/kWh | $0.146 | $5.095/gal | Washington average |
| West Virginia | 16.31 ¢/kWh | $0.163 | $3.695/gal | Lower Atlantic region average |
| Wisconsin | 19.41 ¢/kWh | $0.194 | $4.102/gal | Midwest region average |
| Wyoming | 14.43 ¢/kWh | $0.144 | $4.213/gal | Rocky Mountain region average |
| U.S. average | 18.16 ¢/kWh | $0.182 | $4.153/gal | U.S. average |
Sources: EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, "Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State, August 2026" (residential column); EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, release of November 3, 2026, regular grade, week of 11/02/26. Region membership: EIA glossary, Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts. Read November 7, 2026.
What this means when you shop
At these prices electricity is a small line in the budget: cents per mile, a few dollars a year for most riders. The battery matters more for range than for cost, and the bike's price, its weight limit and your state's rules matter more than either. Compare all 60 bikes on those numbers in the e-bike comparison, or check what your state allows with e-bike laws by state.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an e-bike at home?
Battery watt-hours divided by 1,000, times your price per kWh. A 733 Wh battery at the U.S. residential average of 18.16 cents (EIA, August 2026) costs about 13 cents to fill [calc], plus whatever your charger loses as heat.
How much does it cost to charge an e-bike per month?
Multiply the cost of a charge by the charges you use. 1,000 miles a year on a Level 4 REC (733 Wh, up to 75 miles advertised) is about $1.77 of electricity at the U.S. average [calc], if you get the advertised range. Halve the range and the cost doubles.
Why does the calculator use 100 % charging efficiency?
Because none of the five stores we read publishes the efficiency of its charger, and we do not put invented figures in a calculation. Enter your own if you know it: at 85 %, every result is 1 / 0.85, about 18 % higher [calc].
Is the car comparison fair?
It compares energy only: electricity for the bike, gasoline for the car, at EIA prices for your state or region. Insurance, parking, tires, brakes and the e-bike battery's own wear are left out of both sides.