
This article was originally published on August 15, 2019. The calculator has been updated twice, first in 2023 to include a mechanism that allows users to input EV charging station customer pricing by the kilowatt-hour instead of only by the minute, and again in 2025 to help users estimate the impacts of state policies—such as kilowatt-hour taxes and inspection fees—on charger economics. Please contact the Transportation & Fuels team with any questions about the calculator.
As part of GPI’s research on the economics of DC fast charging, we created a model to calculate the costs and revenue of operating an electric vehicle (EV) charging station. Through our work with the EV industry, we’ve often heard charging operators, community leaders, and EV owners express a desire to explore how station operation impacts costs for both EV charger owners and users.
The Great Plains Institute has just released a first-of-its-kind publication titled
Electricity market rules in development by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO, the region’s grid operator) will impact the competitiveness of hybrid resources, a type of electricity resource which can bring more carbon-free energy to the region. Emerging MISO interconnection rules and processes will determine how hybrid resources connect to the grid, which will shape everything from how these resources are designed to how much electricity and other grid services they can provide.
Midwestern communities have experienced a dramatic increase in the buildout of solar and wind systems in the last decade, continuing an upward trend in renewable energy projects that began in the early- and mid-2000s. As many of these initial projects reach the end of their lifespan, communities will see the local impacts of repowering and decommissioning—the decisions made at the end of a project’s life. Learning about the full lifespan of projects can help communities planning new projects attain the long-term benefits of renewable energy while reducing potential conflicts. 

