A California food influencer's viral TikTok video showing she paid $64.59 to fast-charge her Rivian R1S at a Costco station has reignited debate over whether public EV charging saves drivers anything at all.
Linda, a California-based content creator who posts under the handle @icookutry, filmed herself plugging her Rivian R1S into a fast charger at a Costco location and walking viewers through the entire session, start to finish. The vehicle sat at 27 percent battery when she connected it. The charger estimated one hour and ten minutes to reach a full charge. She went inside to shop.
When she came back roughly an hour later, the bill told the story. The Rivian had climbed to 94 percent, adding about 235 miles of range for a displayed total of 332 miles. The screen showed a final cost of $64.59 for one hour and one minute of charging. That figure, as the New York Post reported, landed higher than what many gas-powered vehicles cost to fill up entirely, and it didn't even get her to 100 percent.
Linda's own reaction on camera was blunt. She read the total aloud:
"64.59 for an hour and one minute, and I'm at 94%."
She later acknowledged in the comments that public fast charging was the wrong play. Home charging, she said, was the real answer.
"Home charging is key; curiosity killed the cat here. Expensive af at Costco."
That concession did not quiet the comment section. One viewer put the math side by side plainly:
"I just spent $50.00 for gas to get 512 miles...took less than 5 minutes to fill up."
Fifty dollars. Five hundred twelve miles. Five minutes. Compare that to Linda's sixty-five dollars, 235 miles, and a full hour parked at a Costco charger. The gap is not subtle.
What stood out in the responses was not just skepticism from gas-car drivers. EV owners themselves weighed in with warnings. One commenter who identified as an EV owner did not mince words:
"I have an EV. To everyone: it's not worth it. Range anxiety is real, public charging costs as much as gas, range plummets during winter, I could keep going. I fantasize frequently of a tree falling on my car so I can get a gas car again."
Another commenter tried to offer the other side, noting that home charging overnight changes the equation entirely:
"Mine is charged from 11 pm until 3 am and costs $14 for 330 miles at home while I sleep."
That is a real difference, $14 versus $65 for roughly comparable range. But it only works for drivers who own a home, have a garage, and can install a Level 2 charger. Apartment renters, street parkers, and anyone who depends on the public charging network does not get that deal. A fifth commenter summed up the catch:
"For people watching, don't get an EV unless you get a charger at the house. It's more expensive than gas by far if you don't."
That is a significant qualifier for a technology that policymakers and automakers have spent years pitching as the affordable, accessible future of transportation.
Linda's vehicle, the Rivian R1S, comes from a company that has had its own turbulent stretch. Rivian faced severe financial pressure in 2024, with its stock price falling and vehicle deliveries declining. Elon Musk posted on X that year predicting the company would end up bankrupt. Rivian's fortunes improved after it entered a $5 billion partnership with Volkswagen, stabilizing its outlook. But the brand still operates in a market where consumer confidence depends heavily on the ownership experience, and viral videos like Linda's do not help.
Linda also described the physical charger itself as unwieldy, calling the connector "bulky." That kind of detail matters. The EV pitch has always rested on two promises: it will cost less to drive, and it will be easier over time. A $65 charge that takes an hour and requires wrestling with heavy equipment does not deliver on either one.
None of this means electric vehicles are useless. Home charging at off-peak rates can genuinely save money, the $14-for-330-miles figure one commenter cited is real for many homeowners. But the public charging network, which is the only option for millions of Americans who rent or lack garage access, tells a different story. And that story, $65 for 235 miles and an hour of downtime, is the one that matters most for the working drivers who are being told the future belongs to EVs whether they can afford it or not.
One commenter asked the question that policymakers still have not answered honestly:
"How is this better than paying for gas?"
When the people actually living with electric vehicles start asking that question out loud, the politicians and regulators pushing EV mandates owe them a straight answer, not another subsidy brochure.
