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Where are the electric savings?

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by skierrob, Jul 25, 2018.

  1. skierrob

    skierrob Member

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    If I buy a prime -- I can drive 25 miles on a charge. It takes 2 hours to charge and takes about 8 kWH to charge, correct?

    Doing some math -- gas is about $3.40 in my area right now. If I get 50MPG from the Prime using gas, it would cost me $1.70 to drive 25 miles using gas.

    For electricity, I can charge at work at $1 per hour. Since it takes two hours to charge, that's $2 to drive 25 miles.

    Or, I can charge at home -- my electric rate would be $.25 per kWH to charge where I live. So, that's also $2 to drive 25 miles. Not to mention the cost to install a charger / outlet.

    As far as I can tell, unless I find a free charger somewhere, there doesn't appear to be any benefit to charging? Can someone tell me if I am making a math error?
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    6.6kwh. at home, that is around $1.65, at work, you're out of luck. chargers by the hour aren't always worth it.

    who told you there were electric savings?
    i haven't seen that in any toyota brochures, advertising or website.

    gas here is 3 bucks, electrons 24 cents.
    it's about a breakeven in my pip, but i drive on electric to promote renewables in an effort to slowdown climate change. and hopefully someday not need to send our young people to the middle east to fight for oil. and avoid disasters like exxon valdez and the oil rig off the southern coast.
     
    #2 bisco, Jul 25, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2018
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  3. skierrob

    skierrob Member

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    ok - 6.6 kwh x $0.25 = $1.65 (pretty much even with gas).

    No one *told* me there would be money savings -- but why would people buy an electric car if there aren't any? I don't imagine there are too many people doing it just for environmental factors... and except in certain places Carpool stickers aren't the answer either.

    Just trying to figure out a rational reason to buy the car. In my case, my freeway to work has no carpool lane. Electricity doesn't seem to be cheaper than gas. There is a small savings to buy a Prime vs a regular Prius after the federal tax credit, but I imagine that might be eaten up later if the plug in parts break / need maintenance.

    So why do most people buy the Prime instead of a regular Prius?
     
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  4. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    6.6 KWH to recharge the max EV usage.
    I calculate it costs you $1.65 to recharge or about half a gallon of gas. So that’s the equivalent of 50mpg. Not bad.
    Do you have a Smart Meter? You might have a lower rate for charging in the off hours.
    I think it’s assumed most have a standard 15amp outlet. Nothing special. A charging cable comes with the car.
     
  5. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    I lived through the Iranian embargo and long gas lines of the ‘70s. That’s enough reason for me.
    J
     
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  6. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    A lot of people here are able to plug in at work or wherever for free.
    What will happen when every employee is plugged in?
    If I took the bosses gas he would fire me. Maybe just a job perk, at least business can write off the cost of electric.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    looking at your own thread 'prime or regular hybrid', there are two pages of pros and cons.
    none of which asks or offers driving cost of gas vs electricity.

    i assume you made your decision to buy the prime due to the responses in that thread, and whatever other due diligence you did prior to purchasing.
     
  8. skierrob

    skierrob Member

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    Actually haven't bought yet -- still trying to decide!!! The decision between the Prime and a Volt has been killing me. And yeah, I know it's just me that takes this long to make decisions -- I spent two YEARS deciding to get my previous BMW 328i!
     
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  9. Jamesb93612

    Jamesb93612 Member

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    My cost for electricity is around $0.27 per kWh. For me the savings was in the vehicle itself. My Prime Plus came out to just a little over $15,500 after all rebates/discounts/ tax credits and incentives. It made more sense to buy the Prime vs the regular Prius.


    iPhone ?
     
  10. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    Our farm is on Solar Power, we use that to recharge our Prius [Solar Power can be extremely expensive, but it is a depreciating expense, so whatever you spend you can recoup in your taxes] Most of our neighbors all have generators which can also expensive when you pay for the fuel, our commercial power grid is terribly unreliable.

    Once a Solar Power system is in-place and depreciating, the power it produces is effectively 'free'.
     
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  11. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Where electricity is cheap, Electric can be under 1/2 the cost of Gas.
    In some states, PHEV can use carpool lanes, and Hybrids can't
    You 'refill' at home, not at some gas station; my daughter works graves, bad time to be out alone.
    Washington State, where she lives, produces no electricity by fossil fuels, 10% nuclear, 90% renewables
     
    #11 JimboPalmer, Jul 25, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2018
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  12. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    Too many PIPs and Primes in California. :LOL: We may have rolling blackouts again. Don't plug-in so much. Use some gas.



    Turn off your lights! California power grid operators tell homes and businesses to conserve energy ahead of the heat wave that is expected to blanket the state with temperatures of up to 100 degrees
    • Temperatures are expected to soar to the high 90s, hitting 97 F Wednesday
    • California Independent System Operator (ISO), the grid operator, has now issued a 'Flex Alert'
    • It warns the heatwave may put pressure on grid as everyone cranks up their AC
    • Consumers 'can help avoid power interruptions' by turning off lights, only using major appliances between 5pm and 9pm, and keeping AC at around 78 degrees
    • 'It's not going to cool off at night,' meteorologist Andrew Rorke said. 'If you can survive to the weekend you might get a little relief'
    • The issue was compounded by tight natural gas supplies in Southern California
     
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  13. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

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    Gas is cheaper here, but electricity is even cheaper. It's about half the cost of gas per mile. It's also nice to drive an electric vehicle, smoother, less noise, more low end torque. I'd still want the car I have if electricity was even more expensive than gas.
     
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  14. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    My work has 50 parking spots with 20 amp plugs for employees with diesel trucks to plug in block heaters, there are some guys that plug in the block heater year round.

    Next I pay roughly 10cents a kwhr plus unavoidable fixed fees, my work pays under half that rate.

    There is usually 1-3 EVs that plug in, at the rates the company pays its a small fraction of what they pay a guy hourly to work here, consider it a perk like free toilets and free water at a drinking fountain
     
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  15. goinskiing

    goinskiing Active Member

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    Our gas is currently $3.00\Gal, home electric is 10 cents\kWh, and plug in at work is 6 cents\kWh. It’s definitely cheaper right now in Boise to drive electric.

    One other advantage is gas prices are far more volatile whereas (generally) electric is more stable making it easier to budget.


    iPhone ?
     
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  16. JonW

    JonW Member

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    California considers high 90s to be a heat wave? Here in Texas we've been sitting around 109 the past week. We were happy when it came back down to around 100 just yesterday. It's not uncommon for us to have 100+ degree heat for multiple consecutive weeks at a time. Gotta say the 109 degree heat really puts a strain on the Prime's AC. I've only been getting around 20 miles per charge because of it. That being said, my electricity is only 10 cents per kwh while I think gas is around $2.60 maybe $2.80? I don't really know for sure what gas is cause I don't pay attention as I only fill up once every 3 or 4 months now.
     
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  17. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    I pay 10.7¢ per kw-hr and a gallon of gas is about 3 & a quarter. The calculations are different for each of us.

    The electrical grid in Texas has been severely stressed lately with demand up to 73,000 MW. I don't know if the grid limit is in generating capacity or transmission capacity, but it's close to its limit. A blackout means no power to recharge the car, and no power to pump gasoline. Texas is unique in having an intrastate grid without capability to buy power from other regions.
     
    #17 PT Guy, Jul 25, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2018
  18. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    This type of thread shows why a sticky on this subject is necessary.

    Further there are other savings, on my Volt I only need to change oil every other year, reduced maintenance and less wasted time on gas trips is a very real savings
     
  19. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Many new buildings will be LEED certified. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
    The US Federal Government, many State and Local governments will make LEED a requirement in building for them. Some State and Local governments may make LEED a part of the Building Code for all new construction

    The architect finds ways of making the building more sustainable, they have many choices but one is to provide alternate vehicle charging. Innovation: Green vehicles | U.S. Green Building Council

    LEED assumes 5% of parking will have charging, success can overwhelm LEED directives, but not soon.
     
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  20. OpusFuller

    OpusFuller Member

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    Probably because not everyone is in your same situation. There are plenty of free charges scattered around the US. There are a handful by my house if I really wanted to plug it in and wait there. At my job I plug my charger into a wall outlet and charge up my car. It's free on their dime. So not everyone has a job where they are getting charged. It varies. If a regular Prius would have worked I would say you should have went with that.

    Plus my kwh is .0769 or 7 cents. so I'm guessing that cost me around 50 cents to charge my vehicle? Also, if you dig deeper into your electric company, they sometimes offer off peak pricing. You'll have to do some research but some have that program in place.

    My Prime was a good buy. Plus the IRS tax credit is a nice addition to boot. Basically they're paying me to own this vehicle. :)
     
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