I Switched From A Tesla To A 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5, EVGo Charged Me $19 For A 28% Charge That Would've Cost $8 At A Supercharger, But It Only Took 5 Minutes To Charge

Buying a car used to be simple. You paid your money, got your keys, and drove off into the sunset with a full tank of gas and a firm understanding of what it cost. Gas was gas, regulated, predictable, and annoyingly uniform in its misery. But with electric cars, we’re now entering an era where the act of refueling your vehicle can feel like a cross between booking a budget airline ticket and day-trading crypto. Just ask Stephen Sands, who recently switched from a Tesla to a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and shared his first fast-charging experience in the Ioniq Guy Facebook group. 

“Loving my 2025 Ioniq 5 AWD SEL. Have had it for 3 months now before having the opportunity to visit an EVGo charger yesterday for the first time. I traded in my Tesla for this car and was used to paying about $.30-.42/ kWh on the supercharger network. On the EvGo (in eastern PA), I paid $.59/kWh PLUS a $3.99 session charge. It cost me $19 to go from 52%-80%! Am I missing something, or is that typical? That’s more expensive than gas! It was really quick, though, took only 5 mins.” - Stephen Sands, Facebook

It’s a telling snapshot of where EV infrastructure is in 2025: fast, accessible, and, if you’re not careful, eye-wateringly expensive. The problem isn’t the cars. The Ioniq 5 AWD SEL is a brilliant machine. The problem is that charging isn’t just a plug-and-play affair. It's a spreadsheet. It's a decision tree. It's a strategy. And if you don’t know the rules, you pay more. Stephen paid $19 for 28% of a battery, something that would've cost $8 or less on Tesla’s Supercharger network.

EVgo Fast-Charging Network: 1,100+ Stations, 1 Million Users & Key Partnerships

• EVgo operates over 1,100 fast‑charging stations in more than 40 U.S. states 
• As of mid‑2024, surpassed 1 million registered customer accounts, a 400% increase since 2020 
• Collaborates with automakers (GM, Honda, Toyota), retailers, rideshare services (Uber, Lyft), and provides Tesla adapter support 
• Earned attention from Morgan Stanley and other analysts, with “Strong Buy” sentiment and projected revenue growth, despite policy and competition uncertainties

That sticker shock might seem outrageous, but it’s not uncommon. Commenters from the same Facebook thread, like Roderick Winfield Smith, laid out the regional nuances: in Massachusetts, for example, EVgo’s session fee is just $0.99, and kWh rates fluctuate between $0.46 and $0.59 depending on time of day. Meanwhile, in Stephen’s Pennsylvania charging session, he paid the maximum rate, plus the highest session fee we’ve seen. “The price per kWh at the nearest EVgo station to me varies by time of day,” Smith noted, before offering an almost doctoral-level breakdown of rate tiers and off-peak pricing windows. 

Some owners see this complexity as a burden, a hidden cost of EV life that no one mentioned in the showroom. John Apel put it plainly: 

“Currently, I don't think there is anything typical about the DC fast charging cost. The price is all over the place, even when the options are located within a few miles of each other.” 

EV Charging Price Chaos: Understanding Cost Variability in Fast-Charging

He’s right. And the lack of pricing uniformity has made EV fast charging a logistical exercise, one where cost efficiency is awarded not to the best technology, but to the best-prepared owner. For those unable to charge at home, it’s a real concern. “It's going to be a problem promoting EVs if the electricity we buy on road trips is more expensive than gasoline,” added Mike Fogel.

Still, there’s another group of owners who lean into the chaos. For them, it’s less of a problem and more of a puzzle. These are the same folks who once re-jetted carburetors or tuned fuel maps with laptops under dim garage lighting. Now, they’re scanning third-party apps for price drops and sweet spots. Matt Neidert suggested BlueDot, an app that offers flat-rate pricing, $0.50/kWh at both EVgo and ChargePoint stations. “Not nearly as good as it used to be (30¢!) but better than paying the straight EVgo rates,” he noted. These drivers treat EV ownership like PC building: a platform to be optimized, modded, and gamified.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Charging Performance: NACS Supercharger & CCS Speed Comparison

• Newer 2025 Ioniq 5 models equipped with NACS port and adapter can charge via Tesla Superchargers 
• Typically restores from ~10–80 % in about 24–30 minutes, constrained by ~135 kW max charging rate 
• Electrify America or similar high-power CCS stations can charge 10–80 % in ~20 min; Tesla chargers tend to be slower 
• From 10–90 %, a Tesla Supercharger can charge the Ioniq 5 in roughly 32–40 minutes, compared to ~22–30 minutes on higher-output chargers

And in that context, the frustrations become a little easier to stomach. The complexity isn’t necessarily a failure; it’s just early days. The fast-charging market is still finding its footing. According to EVgo's official website, pricing models are actively evolving. They’ve rolled out time-of-use pricing in over 20 states to encourage off-peak charging and promote grid health. What they call flexibility, however, often feels like opacity to everyday drivers. And unless you study the fine print or belong to the right Facebook group, you’re likely to miss the best deals.

Of course, home charging remains the financial anchor in the EV equation. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, average residential electricity rates range from $0.12 to $0.18 per kWh nationally, less than a third of many public charging rates. Charging overnight from the comfort of your garage isn’t just cheaper; it’s the real EV advantage. But for renters, apartment dwellers, and road-trippers, public charging is unavoidable. And that's where the economics start to tilt depending on your ability to navigate the labyrinth.

Convenient, sure. But also fractured, dynamic, and heavily dependent on how much homework you’ve done. To succeed in this new world, drivers have to think like engineers, bargain like brokers, and plan like travel agents. It’s not for everyone. But for those who embrace the challenge, it can be strangely satisfying. You’re not just driving, you’re decoding. You’re learning. You’re building. And maybe that’s what keeps car culture alive, even in the silent, digital hum of an Ioniq 5.

Image Sources: Hyundai Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.