Alaska

Why is it like this in Alaska?

Alaska's residential electricity rates — about 26.6¢/kWh statewide, and substantially higher in rural communities — reflect the state's isolation from the continental grid and near-total dependence on natural gas and diesel generation. Chugach Electric filed multiple rate increase requests in 2025, in part because an unusually warm winter cut load and reduced revenue. At the January 2026 baseline, electricity is modestly cheaper per mile for most Alaska PHEV drivers — though the margin varies significantly by region, and the Chugach rate increase requests filed in 2025 are working to narrow that advantage.

In the news · Alaska

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  Chugach Electric seeks to increase bills by 3.1% to cover declining sales and increased costs

  Anchorage Daily News · Aug 20, 2025

  Anchorage's dominant utility filed a general rate case citing falling sales and rising costs — compounding already high electricity costs (~27¢/kWh) that make EV charging in Alaska among the priciest in the West.

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  Anchorage electricity prices could go up again. Blame the warm winter.

  Anchorage Daily News · Jul 20, 2025

  An unusually warm winter cut Chugach Electric's revenue and triggered a second 2025 rate-increase request; for PHEV drivers weighing electric vs. gas, Alaska's persistently high electricity costs narrow the advantage of EV charging.

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  After Trump administration reversal, $50M plan to expand electric vehicle charging in Alaska gets new life

  Anchorage Daily News · Aug 25, 2025

  NEVI funding for Alaska's EV corridor — frozen by the Trump administration and then restored — will expand charging from Homer to Healy, but the infrastructure gap remains a real barrier for PHEV drivers attempting to maximize electric miles in the state.

Curated coverage of Alaska's EV/PHEV cost, policy, and infrastructure story. External links open in a new tab.

West region comparison