Electric car offers 8 years of complimentary fast charging, but with a twist

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【Summary】The Rimac Nevera electric hypercar offers eight years of free access to the high-speed Ionity network, but it comes with a catch - the car itself starts at around €2m. However, if you calculate the cost of the Nevera against the price of charging at Ionity stations, you only need to fill the car 19,333 times to earn your money back. To break even in eight years, you would need to cover about 5,799,900 miles, which equates to approximately 725,000 miles per year or 1,900 miles per day.

FutureCar Staff Oct 20, 2023 9:22 AM PT

Electric car offers 8 years of complimentary fast charging, but with a twist

Car manufacturers have been offering deals where their best electric vehicles (EVs) come with discounted or free access to high-speed public charging networks. This not only reduces the cost of battery top-ups but also increases the value of the car. Typically, these deals last for a year or provide enough charging for around 1,000 free miles. However, there is one deal that stands out - eight years of free access to the high-speed Ionity network.

But, there's a catch. In order to enjoy this deal, you need to purchase a Rimac Nevera, an electric hypercar known for its speed records, with a starting price of around €2m (£1.74m).

However, let's look at this deal from a different perspective and do some calculations. Currently, Ionity chargers are priced at approximately £0.75 per kWh. The cost of the Nevera is equivalent to 2,320,000 kWhs of energy. If we divide this by the car's 120 kWh battery pack, you only need to fully charge the car 19,333 times to recoup your investment.

Considering the claimed 300-mile range of the Nevera, you would need to cover a total of 5,799,900 miles in those eight years to break even. This translates to approximately 725,000 miles per year or 1,900 miles per day. If you become a chauffeur specializing in long-distance airport runs, you might be able to achieve this goal. However, it would require driving exclusively on derestricted sections of the German Autobahn and having someone take over driving duties at night.

Additionally, you would need to pay around £90 each time you charge at a superfast, 350 kW Ionity station. By doing so, you would be able to recoup your £1.74m investment in a short amount of time.

This may not be the typical consumer advice you expect, but if you are in the market for a 1,900-horsepower electric hypercar and plan to drive it continuously for almost a decade, this deal might be worth considering.