Michigan man charged his EV at a dealership and ended up receiving a shocking bill when it was finished
Published on Aug 30, 2026 at 4:01 AM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Aug 30, 2026 at 4:01 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
This Michigan man was left with an astonishingly high bill after he charged up his EV at a dealership.
Stanley Kpenakann was driving home in a rented Chevy Bolt when he realized he needed to charge up.
Checking the EVGo app, he located a nearby charger at a Hyundai dealership.
When he charged up, he was left with a big shock.
EV charging is usually a bargain compared to filling up at the gas station
EV owners have repeatedly cited low charging costs as a reason to move away from gas cars.
Whether it’s a Tesla or a Porsche Taycan, plenty of testimonies have filled the internet pertaining to savings.
Even those who used to laugh at EVs have been converted by the savings.
But alas, this isn’t always the case for everyone.
One man in Michigan ended up paying a hefty bill to charge up a Chevy Bolt.
When you see the figure that he shelled out, you just might end up looking at the whole EV-gas car debate differently.
This Michigan man was stung badly when it came to charging up at a dealership
Stanley Kpenkann, a resident of Macomb Township, was driving back after dropping his friend off at the airport, when he noticed his Chevy Bolt was running low on charge.
With just 20 minutes of battery left, he looked on the EVgo app for the nearest available charger.
It directed him towards a charger at a Hyundai dealership.
He charged up for 44 minutes and took a look at the bill.
Let’s just say, if he was a cartoon character, his jaw would have hit the floor and his eyes would have popped out of his head – he’d been charged $418.
“I was flabbergasted; never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be saddled with a bill of $418 for a charging session,” he told WXYZ News.
Initially believing it to be a glitch, he reached out to EVgo who confirmed the charge was valid.
The dealership’s charging machine displayed the price on its screen – $5 per kilowatt-hour and $5 per minute.
Kpenkaan said he hadn’t seen these prices before beginning his charging session.
“You don’t go into a gas station where the average price of gas is 4 dollars, expecting they’re gonna charge you 25 dollars per gallon,” Kpenkaan said.
Those chargers are from ChargePoint, who have a roaming agreement with EVgo.
“Roaming is enabled at the Hyundai dealership in Macomb, and drivers can charge at that site through their EVgo account; however, all pricing is set by the dealership as the station owner,” a EVgo spokeperson told WXYZ News.
This wasn’t an explanation that washed with Kpenkaan.
“It makes no sense for you to have it on the app, but say we don’t want anyone to use it because of private use, then make it private, don’t make it public,” Kpenkaan said.
Ultimately, EVgo agreed to a goodwill refund of $405 – the remaining $13.27 reflects what the charging session would have cost Kpenkaan under his subscription plan.
Despite the initial expense, Kpenkaan said he wanted his story to be a cautionary tale to other EV drivers.
“It shouldn’t take the intervention of a TV station for me to be refunded; it just seems to me like they were planning on getting away with it the whole time,” Kpenkaan said.
When contacted for comment, EVgo confirmed that the ChargePoint station at the dealership was no longer listed as a roaming site on the EVgo app.
“EVgo strives to offer seamless charging experiences for all EV drivers,” a representative for EVgo told Supercar Blondie.
“We have roaming agreements with other public networks, including ChargePoint, to give drivers more options to charge on the go.
“Roaming was enabled at the ChargePoint charger at the Elder Hyundai dealership in Macomb, and drivers could charge at that site through their EVgo account; however, all pricing was set by the dealership as the station owner. EVgo has no role in pricing at any roaming locations.
“It appears the dealership recently raised their rates, and we were not made aware of the dealership’s desire for their location to be for private use.
“The ChargePoint station located at this dealership is no longer listed in the EVgo app when filtering for roaming sites.”
Ben joined Supercar Blondie in February 2025 after being published by international organizations including LADbible, The Sun, the New York Post, and the Daily Mail. He covers supercars, rare and collectible vehicles, aviation, luxury assets, and the fascinating people behind them. His reporting has explored everything from seven-figure supercars and historic Ferrari collections to unusual aircraft adventures and extraordinary automotive discoveries from around the world. Ben has also gained first-hand insight into vehicle craftsmanship and customization, including visiting specialist workshops to see bespoke vehicles up close.
