No home charging (I live in a condo) — how do I keep it cheap?

Use an AC plug on a long park (office/mall) instead of DC as much as possible, compare per-unit prices across networks in the apps, and look for a member/Off-Peak rate. Some condos are adding shared chargers — ask the building's management; if you own the unit and want your own, it needs the management's and the building's electrical approval.

Why doesn't this page list each network's per-unit price?

Because operator prices (PTT EV Station PluZ, EA/EleXA, PEA VOLTA, MEA, Sharge, etc.) change often by time band, AC/DC plug, member rate and promotion. A hardcoded number would go stale and mislead — so we give the pricing structure and how to read the real rate in the app, which is always more accurate.

What is an idle fee, and how do I avoid it?

A penalty some stations charge when your car stays plugged in after it is full, to stop people hogging the bay. Avoid it by unplugging as it nears full or setting an app alert — especially at DC plugs, where queues are long and the penalty is higher.

To charge at home Off-Peak, do I need a TOU meter first?

Yes — the 2.6369 THB/unit Off-Peak rate applies only to homes that have switched to a TOU meter; a normal meter bills on tiers (top tier ~4.4217). Whether the switch pays off depends on how much you charge at night — the maths is at is a TOU meter worth it, and how to apply is at request a TOU meter.

EV Owner Guide

How Much Is EV Charging per Unit — Station vs Home, Which Is Cheapest

Name: CapSolar
Address: 429/44 Sukhonthasawat Rd, Lat Phrao, Bangkok, 10230, TH
Telephone: +66 2 124 5414
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Charging stations bill per unit (kWh) at a price the operator sets — there is no single national rate. This page explains why AC is cheaper than DC, why there is an On-Peak/Off-Peak split, and compares it head-to-head with charging at home so you can see what is actually cheapest, plus how to read the real rate in each network's app. Home figures cite MEA/PEA rates; station prices we point you to the operator directly rather than guess.

8 min readLast updated: 23 Aug 2026Data as of: Aug 2026

A station's EV charging price is not one national number — each network sets its own baht-per-unit rate, and as a rule DC (fast charge) costs more than AC, with many networks also splitting On-Peak/Off-Peak by time of day. For most people the cheapest option is charging at home overnight on a TOU meter, whose Off-Peak rate is just 2.6369 THB/unit, versus a normal home meter's top tier at about 4.4217 THB/unit — and public stations, DC especially, usually sit above that. Stations are for topping up on the road, not your main daily cost; for the exact station figure, check the operator's app. (Is a home TOU meter worth it — read on)

How many baht per unit does an EV charging station cost?

There is no single nationwide rate — each operator sets its own price, so the real figure comes from that network's app or the charger screen at the time of use. What is fixed is that a DC (fast-charge) plug always costs more per unit than an AC plug, and many networks charge On-Peak higher than Off-Peak.

Why do stations price by time? Because the station itself buys electricity on the special charging-station tariff that the ERC regulates — a time-of-use structure — so operators pass that time shape through, plus their own service margin. Beyond the per-unit price, some stations add an idle fee once your car is full or a per-session minimum — read all three parts before you plug in.

Where is the cheapest place to charge an EV — station or home?

For most people, charging at home overnight on a TOU meter is cheapest — the Off-Peak rate is just 2.6369 THB/unit, less than half the On-Peak rate (5.7982) and clearly below DC fast charging. Public stations are for long trips or when you are in a hurry, not the daily cost you live on.

In real money: a car with a 60-unit battery draws about 66 units for a full charge (~10% loss) — at home Off-Peak ≈ 174 THB, at home on a normal meter's top tier ≈ 292 THB (before Ft + VAT, which apply equally to all). A DC station usually charges more per unit than that, depending on the network. Whether switching to a TOU meter pays off is worked out in is home EV charging worth a TOU meter.

When does a station win? When you have no home charging (a condo or rental where you cannot wire a charger) or must drive beyond your battery range. Then pick an AC plug when you can park a while, and use DC only when genuinely in a hurry — DC costs more per unit.

What is the difference between AC and DC (fast) charging, and the price gap?

AC is slower (measured in hours) and cheaper per unit; DC fast fills up in ~20–40 minutes but costs more per unit. Pick DC only when you need speed — if you can park a while (office, mall, hotel), an AC plug is the cheaper choice.

AC (alternating current, Type-2 plug): typical power ~7–22 kW; the car converts it to DC for the battery itself. Best for a long park, and the same plug type as a home charger — public AC usually costs near or a little above a home rate, depending on operator.

DC (direct current, fast charge, CCS2 plug): high power ~50–360 kW feeding DC straight into the battery, so it is fast — good for long trips or a hurry, but always pricier than AC per unit because of the equipment and electricity-demand cost. Charging DC every day is not the economical way.

Comparison table: home vs station AC vs station DC

The home figures are real MEA/PEA rates (before Ft + VAT); the station side is marked "per operator" because operators set their own price — read it as an ordering of cheap-to-expensive, not a final price.

Charging method	Per-unit price	Speed	Best for
Home · TOU meter (Off-Peak, night)	2.6369 THB/unit	Slow (AC, overnight)	Cheapest — your daily default
Home · normal meter (top tier)	~4.4217 THB/unit	Slow (AC)	Homes without a TOU meter yet
Home · TOU meter (On-Peak, day)	5.7982 THB/unit	Slow (AC)	Avoid — priciest home option
Public station · AC (Type-2)	Per operator (above home)	Medium	Top-up on a long park (mall/office)
Public station · DC fast (CCS2)	Per operator (highest)	Fast, ~20–40 min	Long trips / in a hurry

Every method adds the same current-period Ft and 7% VAT, so the ordering does not change. See the full TOU rates and the current Ft charge.

Why do some stations charge On-Peak / Off-Peak?

Because the station itself buys power on a time-split rate (the TOU structure the ERC regulates for charging stations). When the station's own cost is lower at night, many networks price their Off-Peak below On-Peak to match.

Thailand's standard TOU windows are On-Peak Monday–Friday 09:00–22:00, and Off-Peak 22:00–09:00 plus all of Saturday–Sunday and public holidays — time-split networks usually follow this frame. See the qualifying holidays on the Off-Peak calendar. Note: some networks charge one flat rate all day, others have a member/app rate cheaper than walk-in — always check in the app first.

How do you find each station's real price?

Open that network's app (or read the charger screen) and check all three: ① the per-unit price for the AC/DC plug and time band, ② the idle fee if any, and ③ any per-session minimum — do not judge "cheap" from the per-unit number alone.

A fair way to compare: work out "baht per charge" = per-unit price × units added + any other fees, then compare across networks — and remember that if you can charge at home, the home Off-Peak per-unit cost usually beats every station. Our home-bill tool helps at how to calculate a home bill, and whether switching to a TOU meter is worth it is at is a TOU meter worth it.

Frequent outages and want backup — can a generator charge an EV?

Technically yes, but only with an inverter-type generator that gives clean, stable power and enough capacity for an AC plug — and it is neither economical nor recommended as a routine. If what you really want is home backup (generator vs battery/solar) and how many kW to pick, read home backup generator: how many kW.

Who wrote this page

Compiled by the CapSolar team, a commercial solar provider in Thailand, led by Frank Lee (Founder). Home figures cite MEA/PEA TOU and tiered rates (Off-Peak 2.6369 / normal top tier 4.4217 / On-Peak 5.7982 THB/unit); public-station prices change by operator/promotion, so we point you to each network's app rather than quote a number that may be stale. As of Aug 2026 — general information, not personal advice.

FAQ

Almost always for DC fast — clearly above a home Off-Peak rate (2.6369 THB/unit). Some public AC can be near a normal home meter, but virtually no station beats home Off-Peak, because operators must add equipment and service costs — barring a temporary promotion.

A business wanting its own EV chargers + solar?

For a building or factory that wants solar to self-generate (including daytime EV charging from the sun), CapSolar assesses free of charge, no obligation.

Talk to CapSolaror call +66 2 124 5414