Ready to switch to an electric vehicle? Needing to charge EVs is one of the biggest changes to get used to when switching from a gas-powered car. From being sure you’ll have enough power to get where you’re going to understanding the different types of stations, it’s a lot to keep track of. Fortunately, living in a city like Austin that has embraced this change makes navigating these obstacles a little easier.

This resource will cover some of the different charging locations in Austin, options for home charging rebates, and Austin Energy’s Plug-in EVerywhere program. We’ll keep this info updated and recommend bookmarking it if you have an EV or plan on getting one.

EV Charging Networks in Austin

Realtor.com and Kelley Blue Book ranked Austin one of its top 10 cities for electric vehicles, which means there are plenty of charging stations in the city. In fact, there are over 1,500 charging ports in the area. This article will cover two of the biggest providers (I can only type so fast).

Austin Energy

If you live in Austin, you’re likely already familiar with Austin Energy. This community-owned utility is committed to providing sustainable energy and backs that up with several programs. Austin Energy provides hundreds of charging stations throughout its service area with both Level 2 and Fast Charging options.

Currently, the price for fast charging is .21 per minute. These chargers should have you ready to go in about 30 minutes, and you’ll find them near significant transit routes. Level 2 charging costs $0.09 per kWh, which is roughly a penny per minute. DC fast charging will run you $0.21 per minute.

Austin Energy Charging Station Map

Tesla

The Tesla charging network offers two options: Destination Charging and Superchargers.

Destination Charging locations are usually at hotels, restaurants, and parking garages. You’ll find plenty of these stations in and around Downtown Austin. Most of these chargers are free as long as you’re a patron of the business they’re attached to. It takes several hours to charge at these stations, and you can monitor the progress with the Tesla app. You can also use Destination Charging if you don’t have a Tesla.

As the name implies, Superchargers are much faster than Destination Charging. Superchargers are available for Tesla vehicles, NACS equipped vehicles, and other EVs. There are about 15 Supercharger stations in the Austin area, each with several chargers. It costs about .25 per kWh to charge EVs at these stations.

Most of these chargers are only available to Tesla owners. Still, the company is working toward making Superchargers usable by all EVs. Recently, the charger map on the Tesla website was updated to show Superchargers Open to Non-Tesla. As of this update, there aren’t any in the Austin area yet.

Finally, some Tesla Superchargers in the Austin area are usable by NACS equipped vehicles. NACS is the North American Charging Standard that all automakers should be switching to by 2025. As of this update, there are about nine NACS chargers in the area.

Tesla Supercharger and Destination Charging Map

Charge EVs at Home

If you want to charge EVs at home, a 120-volt outlet will work fine, but you may want to upgrade to a 240-volt option. It’s much faster, and you can’t beat the convenience of charging at home. Austin Energy offers a 50% rebate on the purchase and installation of one of these stations.

There are several eligibility requirements, and you will need a licensed electrician to do the work. Get all the info on the Austin Energy home charging rebate here.

When it comes to having your EV diagnosed and repaired, we can help you with that. Contact us today to make an appointment!