EV Trip Energy & Cost Calculator
Plan the energy needs for your next road trip, adjusting for real-world conditions.
Last Updated: January 2026
What this calculator does
Estimate the energy and cost for a specific EV trip using distance, efficiency, electricity price, and a simple driving penalty. The calculator returns total kWh, total cost, cost per mile or kilometer, and an adjusted real world efficiency value. It is helpful for quick trip planning and budget checks.
Inputs explained
- Trip distance: Total miles or kilometers for the trip.
- Vehicle efficiency: Enter mi/kWh, Wh/mi, kWh/100mi, kWh/100km, or Wh/km.
- Electricity rate: Price per kWh used for the trip cost.
- Efficiency penalty: Percent increase in energy use from wind, speed, hills, or HVAC.
How it works / Method
- Convert your efficiency to kWh per selected distance unit.
- Apply the penalty to increase consumption for tougher conditions.
- Multiply adjusted kWh per unit by trip distance to get total energy.
- Multiply total energy by the electricity rate to get trip cost.
- Display the adjusted real efficiency in mi/kWh or kWh/100km.
Formula(s) used
kWh_per_unit = convert(efficiency)
adjusted_kWh_per_unit = kWh_per_unit * (1 + penalty%/100)
total_energy = distance * adjusted_kWh_per_unit
total_cost = total_energy * rate
cost_per_unit = total_cost / distance
Units: distance in mi or km, energy in kWh, rate in currency per kWh. Penalty is a simple multiplier.
Inputs
Trip Results
Total Energy Needed (+Loss)
-
Estimated Trip Cost
-
Cost per mi
-
Real Efficiency (Est.)
-
Step-by-step example
Example inputs: 150 miles, 3.2 mi/kWh, electricity rate $0.16 per kWh, and a 15% penalty for wind and higher speeds.
- Base efficiency: 1 / 3.2 = 0.3125 kWh per mile.
- Adjusted consumption: 0.3125 * 1.15 = 0.3594 kWh per mile.
- Total energy: 150 * 0.3594 = 53.9 kWh.
- Total cost: 53.9 * $0.16 = $8.63.
- Cost per mile: $8.63 / 150 = $0.058.
- Adjusted efficiency: 1 / 0.3594 = 2.78 mi/kWh.
Use cases
- Estimate energy and budget for a weekend road trip.
- Compare two routes with different expected conditions.
- Account for extra HVAC use during hot or cold weather.
- Plan charging needs and approximate cost per mile.
- Compare expected trip energy between different EVs.
- Validate results before using the charge stops planner.
Assumptions & limitations
- The penalty is a single multiplier and does not model hills or wind by segment.
- Charging losses are not included; use the charging cost tool for grid energy.
- Electricity price is treated as a constant rate for the entire trip.
- Does not model regenerative braking changes between city and highway driving.
- Real world efficiency varies with speed, temperature, and vehicle load.
- Results are estimates for planning, not a guarantee.
Disclaimer: Results are estimates for planning only. Real world energy use can vary widely by conditions and driving style.
Frequently Asked Questions
The penalty percent increases energy use to reflect tougher conditions such as higher speeds,
headwinds, elevation changes, cargo, or aggressive HVAC use. If you expect ideal conditions, set
the penalty to zero. For winter trips or fast highway driving, a higher penalty can be more
realistic. It is a simple multiplier, so it will not capture every detail of a real route, but
it provides a practical way to add a buffer to your plan.
No. The calculator uses vehicle energy consumption and does not add charging losses or station
fees. That means the kWh shown represent energy at the battery, not necessarily energy pulled
from the grid. If you want cost per mile that reflects charging losses, use the EV charging cost
calculator. If your station charges per minute or session fee, use the session pricing tool for
a better cost estimate.
Use a recent average from your vehicle trip meter if possible, because real world efficiency can
differ from rated values. If you only have an EPA rating, it is still a good starting point. For
long highway trips, efficiency often drops compared to mixed driving. In cold or hot weather,
HVAC loads can increase consumption, so consider a small penalty to reflect those conditions.
Real efficiency is the adjusted efficiency after the penalty is applied. It is shown in the unit
that best matches your input, such as mi/kWh or kWh/100km. You can use this value to compare with
your dashboard or to estimate real world range. If the number seems too low or high, adjust the
penalty until it aligns with your expected driving conditions.
Yes. For a round trip, simply double the distance if conditions are similar in both directions.
For multi-leg routes with different speeds or elevations, run the calculator for each leg and
sum the energy and cost. This provides a more realistic total than using a single average. You
can also adjust the penalty for each leg to reflect changing weather or driving speed.
Real world energy use depends on speed, wind, temperature, elevation, tire pressure, and payload.
Traffic and route choice can also change consumption dramatically. The penalty slider accounts
for some of this, but it remains a simplified estimate. If you regularly see higher or lower
energy use than the calculator predicts, adjust the efficiency input or penalty to match your
past trips.
Sources & references
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: Measuring electricity - Defines kW and kWh for energy costs.
- U.S. DOE Energy Saver: Fuel economy in cold weather - Shows how cold weather affects energy use.
- U.S. DOE Energy Saver: Fuel economy in hot weather - Notes the impact of air conditioning on efficiency.
- Schema.org: FAQPage, WebPage, and BreadcrumbList - Structured data definitions used on this page.