Featured Real-World Electric Vehicle Fueling Costs May Surprise New EV Drivers

Pretty much. All the averaging seems to be on the high side. Level 2 chargers have been coming down in price, lately.

 

Ah, the good old Prius myth days: (1) landfills full of batteries; (2) Hummer is more efficient than Prius, and; (3) Sudbury nickel mine disaster. For those who forgot: https://www.ifixhybrid.com/myths-associated-with-the-toyota-prius

Addressing Common Myths Associated with the Toyota Prius
At Maxat Hybrid Repair, we go aim to educate our customers regarding the true facts of hybrid vehicles. From cost-effective repairs to common issues to look for, we aim to help each and every potential customer by revealing the facts behind hybrids. With this goal in mind, we would like to clear the air on some common myths on the Toyota Prius that would convince a buyer whether purchasing a Prius is the best or worst decision of their lives.
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So I'm OK with others who chose to believe curious vehicle claims. I've shown my work and have no investment in reviewing another report ... if I'm not being paid. So I share what my lying eyes and wallet show. Still I understand there is some interest in SuperCharger costs so I'll share some later:

• Huntsville Biloxi MS
• Huntsville Coffeeville KS

Bob Wilson

 

I see that those who are defending the EVs are not including the higher cost of the "most popular EV" and the associated depreciation at resale, nor the cost of replacing a massive battery if you keep it to end of life. The guy who blew up his Tesla due to a $20,000 battery replacement estimate is extreme, but not that far off. Most of the people I know consider the car worthless if the cost of repairs equals or exceeds the resale value of the car. Heck, they consider an appliance to be in need of replacement if the repair bill gets close to the replacement cost.

Yes, we all remember the rumors that went around when the Prius first came out. Every person I knew who considered buying a hybrid was obsessed with the $10,000 bill for replacing the battery.

Going back to Post #4, where Bob Wilson quotes the fueleconomy.gov to show that HIS EV is cheaper to run. He ignores the $12,000 difference in MSRP between His Tesla and My Prime. The article at Here's How Long You Will Wait For A New Tesla In 2022 In The US shows that the base model of Bob's car has increased $5,000 for the 2022 model year. That's if you want to wait 6 months to almost a year for delivery. Overall, the cost of ownership for most EVs is still higher than the cost for PHEVs.

 

I think these studies and even previous comments leave out things.

Cost to change oil in the car.
Costs of tires (extra weight in EV requires special tires more frequently and even special tires for a hybrid)
Hours spent with no car while oil changes, ICE maintenance is done.
Cost of air filters.
Costs of tune ups.
Costs of things like shock absorbers which have to carry more weight.

Why don't I drive a EV? Because I refuse to wait a year, because I refuse to pay $20k more than a hybrid. I could.

How many solar roofs do I see? Maybe 1% of the single family houses in my 3k houses development in the mid-south. (Son has one, and a prime, loves both. Between us out last 6 car purchases have been hybrids.)

Me ... two hybrids because I couldn't get a plug-in version.

Oh and I keep cars for 7 to 10 years.

 

if you got the plug in version, you'd still have to do all those crazy gasser maintenance items.
best of both worlds

 

That's a common misconception. Like many, I spend most of my time running around town on battery. Then when I'm on a long distance trip the ICE cycles on and off. As a result, the hours of running the ICE is much less than would otherwise be expected. With synthetic oil, fuel injection and electronic ignition the number of maintenance items are limited. As a matter of fact, on the Toyota hybrids, you may never need any brake work.

You just don't need frequent tuneups or oil changes any more.

 

YMMV
I have had practically no depreciation on my model 3, in the last 3 years. I'm sure this is because of the high demand and would not expect it going forward. I had much higher depreciation on my prius during this time period.

This study, and I use the word loosely because of its poor assumptions, was supposed to be about the cost of fueling. You will find much better research about tco from other more trustworthy sources.

Yes depreciation should figure into it. Using a completely atypical story doesn't help. Engines and transmissions fail regularly out of warranty. Odds of a tesla battery pack failing are much lower but if you repair it at the shop its going to be very expensive. One guy got it repaired at a 3rd party shop that replaced modules and controller for $5K. Tesla does want over $20K. Say you are in that tiny minority with battery failure in the first decade but after the 8 year warranty, well its expensive. Should we focus on that small percentage. We have read about 2 out of warranty and that is it. Most new car buyers do not drive it into the ground. If you plan on it and plan on bad luck and don't want to buy an extended warranty, well good luck, stay away from teslas. Tesla will be just fine, they have wait lists for all their vehicles except the model S Plaid.

 

The engine transmission have likely seen more efficiently loss over those years than the EV drive train. Rebuilds may not be out of line.

 

Emphasis mine.

According to the story on CNBC ( Car owners are holding their vehicles for longer, which is both good and bad) the average length of ownership was a record 79.3 months, or about 6 and a half years. That would indicate that the average second owner of a Tesla would buy a used car with a $20,000 part that is about to fall out of warranty. Of course, we don't have any model 3s that are more than 5 years old, so there would not be any "out of warranty" horror stories to tell.

 

What happened is our 2014 BMW i3-REx, 72 mi EV, was getting used and our 2017 Prius Prime, 25 mi EV, was not. So when Tesla offered $18,300 trade-in on the Prime, the 2019 Tesla Model 3 Std Rng Plus became a $24,000 car.

In my case, EV ownership is cheaper in purchase, maintenance and operating cost than our last Prius, a Prime. But then I have done the experiment and have my ‘lying eyes.’

Your experimental facts and data?

Bob Wilson

 

Interesting posts. My co-worker bought a Tesla just under two months ago and I've been asking about it. He can't drive it every day because, right now, he's waiting for an electrician to come wire his garage for the heavy-duty charger....it takes two days to get fully charged on 110. He tried out a fast charger at a local gas station and said it was $17 for it....ouch. Now I know why Tesla's have that big screen that can stream movies...you'll be sitting waiting for the charge or waiting in line to then wait for the charge!!
Maybe they should rename the Tesla "Waiter" or "Hurry Up and Wait!" ;-)

 

Well you have shown my point. Actually the battery warranty on a model 3 standard plus is 8 years or 100,000 miles. The long range is 120,000 miles. This guy went over that 120,000 around a year ago.
https://electrek.co/2020/09/26/tesla-model-3-high-mileage-extreme-low-cost-minimal-battery-degradation/

It is the used car buyer that needs to worry. The chemistry in the model 3 appears to be much better than in the pre 2014 model S's. Years and high temperatures not mileage seems to be what ages the packs. If you travel 15,000 miles a year then warranty will be up in 6.5 years. The new LFP batteries in the model 3 standard plus will probably last even longer. Musk estimated my model 3 battery modules to last 300,000 -500,000 miles but these are too young to predict how many years. I have my tesla keep its battery cool when I'm not driving to extend the life just in case. The LFP batteries will also be a lot cheaper to replace.

Time will tell, but I would wait until at least 2024 to have a decent sample.

 

Battery warranty is 8 years or120,000 MI with the guarantee being there will still be 70% of its range capacity left.
Vehicle Warranty | Tesla

But if someone needs to continually paint a bleak picture? sure - continue on.

BTW .... our neighbor blew up his duramax engine and the motor plus labor? almost $25,000. Welcome to the world of a quickly depreciating dollar.
.

 

I placed a reservation for a VW id4 today.
MSRP $45000 w/4wheel drive and still eligible for $7500 tax credit.
It seems to be the best deal right now.
The dealer had one to test drive and claims there will be no market adjustment.

 

So how much does he want for it?

Bob Wilson

 

I think he'll be happier when the electrician finally gets his plug installed. (His other vehicle is a Tundra so he's really wanting that plug!)

 

If he didn't use a Tesla Supercharger, that would have been much cheaper.
Of course, if he was fully depleted and needed a full charge, $17 doesn't seem too much for a full tank of most cars.
I charged on a 110 for a while way back when. It worked fine as I didn't drive over about 30 miles a day. A 240V charger is much more convenient.

 

Monument has a supercharger right off I-25. I've been there. Fill from under 20% to 90% charge was $8. Why would he go to a high-price underpowered alternative. The bad thing about buying a non-tesla EV is the commercial DC QC's rip you off for electricity costs ..... just like some gas stations do for ice.