Reality Check · Birmingham, AL
2025 GMC Sierra EV in Birmingham, AL
Winter range, charging cost and how far it goes, worked out for Birmingham's weather, grid and prices.
Winter barely touches range in Birmingham: at a typical January's 45°F, a Sierra EV gets an estimated 368 miles on a charge, within 6% of its 390-mile rating. Charging at home at Alabama's average rate (16.4¢/kWh) costs about $105 a month for 38 miles a day, against $274 for a gas Sierra on the Gulf Coast's gas. Birmingham's grid (SERC South) is 10% dirtier than the US average, but charging on it still makes 62% less CO₂ than gas.
Partly estimated. 2 of 5 temperature bands are from 116 real drives of this model; the rest come from 1,548 real drives in EVs at each temperature (and Recurrent's winter study below freezing), applied to its 390-mile rating. Each band switches to its own drives once it has 20 from 3 drivers.
October rangeEstimated
377mi
At Birmingham's typical October day, 65°F · 35% highway
Winter lowEstimated
368mi
January, 45°F · lows near 35°F
Home chargingEstimated
$105/mo
9.1¢ a mile at 16.4¢/kWh. Gas Sierra: $274/mo
Birmingham's grid
0.84lb CO₂/kWh
SERC South (EPA eGRID): 10% dirtier than the US, 62% less CO₂ than gas
Birmingham, season by seasonEstimated
A Sierra EV's range on a full charge, averaged over each season's months (30-year normal temperatures), at 35% highway.
Winter Dec–Feb · 47°F
5% below its 390-mile rating · coldest week 368 mi
371mi
Spring Mar–May · 64°F
4% below its rating
376mi
Summer Jun–Aug · 80°F
8% below its rating
357mi
Fall Sep–Nov · 65°FNow
5% below its rating
372mi
A Sierra EV's range through a Birmingham yearEstimated
Each month at Birmingham's 30-year normal temperature, 35% highway. No day of the year averages below freezing.
How far it goes from Birmingham, on real roadsEstimated
In October, from a full charge with 10% in reserve: about 170 mi out and back, 339 mi one way (January: 331 mi). Dots are DC fast chargers by network.
Fast charging around Birmingham
PlugLog's map of every public charger. Tesla-only Superchargers aren't counted.
- 37DC fast chargers within 25 mi
- 1.1 mito the nearest
- ChargePoint358 in reach
- Tesla Supercharger173
- EVgo126
- EV Connect97
- Electrify America59
Road trips in October, about, by road: Greenville (336 mi) and Knoxville (292 mi) one way on a charge; Augusta (341 mi) with one fast stop.
Questions Birmingham drivers ask
How far can a Sierra EV go in a Birmingham winter?
Birmingham's winters are mild: about 368 miles on a typical January day (45°F) and about the same in the coldest week (around January 13, 44°F), estimated from real EV drives at those temperatures. That's within 6% of its 390-mile rating.
How much does it cost to charge a Sierra EV in Birmingham?
About $105 a month at home for 38 miles a day, at Alabama's average home electricity rate of 16.4¢/kWh: about 9.1¢ a mile. A gas Sierra on the Gulf Coast's average gas ($3.78 a gallon) costs about $274 a month for the same driving.
Can I charge a Sierra EV on a regular 120 V outlet in Birmingham?
Not at 38 miles a day: a 120 V outlet adds only about 29 miles in 12 hours on an average day (28 in the coldest week). Plan on 240 V, which fills it from 10% in about 10 hours.
Is it greener to drive electric on Birmingham's grid?
Yes. Birmingham's grid (SERC South) is 10% dirtier than the US average, but a Sierra EV charged on it still makes 62% less CO₂ than a gas Sierra.
Check it for your own address
Your street, your daily miles, any temperature on the knob.
Sierra EV Reality Check near Birmingham
Sources: temperatures, 30-year normals (NOAA 1991–2020) at Birmingham Airport, AL; home electricity, EIA (Alabama, July 2026); gas, EIA weekly (the Gulf Coast); grid CO₂, EPA eGRID 2023; cold-weather range, PlugLog's real drives and Recurrent's winter study (Nov 2025); chargers, Open Charge Map and PlugLog. Updated Oct 22, 2026.