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

I never had an issue with the Clipper Creek Voltec EVSEs, but the Lear made ones were junk and usually had to be replaced.

 

Regarding a $120 a year amortized cost of home charger:

Which way is it biased? I bought my level 2 ESVE for less than $200. The 220V feed was already in the garage to feed my shop tools.

 

Looks like I'm getting better than EPA mileage. At today's $0.12/kWh ~= $1,621.20. At recent US Energy Information cost of $3.03/gallon, 535 gallons, ~110 MPG equivalent.

Bob Wilson

 

Another source: https://evannex.com/blogs/news/how-much-cheaper-is-it-to-own-an-electric-car

. . .
While EVs usually have higher upfront purchase prices, owners can save a lot on operating expenses. A 2020 Consumer Reports study found that EV owners, on average, spend 60% less on fuel compared to internal combustion engine vehicles," writes Winters. And that was before gas prices really went through the roof.

"And since EVs have fewer parts than gas-fueled cars (there’s no oil to change, no spark plugs to replace), they tend to have lower maintenance costs as well. A recent report by the analytics firm We Predict reveals that after 36 months on the road, service costs were 31% lower for electric cars and light trucks when compared to similar gasoline-based vehicles," reports CNBC.

It's also reported that "when you factor in the price, maintenance, financing, repairs, the federal tax break and fuel costs... The electric version of a small SUV costs $0.4508 per mile, $0.0219 less than the $0.4727 per mile rate you get with a similar gas-based model," according to a U.S. Department of Energy report.
. . . ​

Sure is strange how many serious authors find EVs significantly cheap to own and operate.

Bob Wilson

 

That's an interesting display, but It's not clear what it represents. 1,699 miles between charging?

It certainly does not correlate to the numbers in post #47 where the average Birmingham to Mobile energy use was over 320 Wh / mile.

 

My Tesla has multiple trip meters:

• since last put in drive - this can be reset on the fly to track specific sections of a trip. For example significant elevation change.
• since last charged - can only be reset by putting some charge into the car
• "Segment" shown in the image - a user resettable trip meter when longer trip intervals may have special interest
• "Lifetime" displayed in the image - a user resettable trip meter that I've not touched. It gives total vehicle performance.

Not shown, there is a separate energy usage and trip projection display. Finally, there is a projected range based on the battery SOC and recent driving. With this sort of detailed data along with PlugShare mapping L2 chargers and the nearly universal 110-120 VAC wall outlets, long distance trips are trivial.

Bob Wilson

 

What caused 50% discrepancy from the lifetime average to what was encountered on the Birmingham to Mobile trip that you documented? Elevation change? Headwind? Extreme cold?

 

I'm not sure what you are asking.

The kWh required is a strong function of the vehicle velocity so on a cross country trip, we're doing hours at ~70 mph. In town, we are closer to a much smaller average speed, ~35 mph, with significant regenerative braking. The lifetime is the sum of both cross country and local driving.

I was happy to see my lifetime average, 22.8 kWh/100 miles, comes close to the EPA rating of 25 kWh/100 miles. However, I often take a slower, direct route than the recommended faster route. So I save energy from slower speeds and shorter distances.

When the weather and temperatures approach a Standard Day, I'll benchmark the car to graph the kWh as a function of speed.

Bob Wilson

 

Using a data recorder, I was able to plot my Model 3 Std Rng Plus at a V3 (aka., 250 W capable) SuperCharger:


The 'star' marks the distance to the next SuperCharger which I could have reached in just over 7 minutes. However, I took a biology break and accidentally charged to 13 minutes, well in excess of the minimum needed. But I'd like to clear up a misconception about trading in our 2017 Prius Prime for the Tesla.

We had two, plug-in hybrids: (1) 2014 BMW i3-REx, and (2) 2017 Prius Prime. We found the 72 mi EV range of the BMW was much more useful than the 25 mi EV range of the Prius Prime. Worse, the Prime control laws would often start the gas engine below 55 F whereas the BMW only only started the Range Extender (Rex) when the battery State Of Charge (SOC) reached 6%. I was angered that "EV mode" in the Prius Prime had gas engine starting exceptions and eventually the Prius Prime stopped accumulating daily miles.

Our 2017 Prius Prime got a superior, over 56 MPG on the highway versus 39 MPG of our 2014 BMW i3-REx. But the BMW could still do affordable long distance trips. It easily handled driving the +700 miles to Oklahoma or Kansas. Once there, it was trivial to put a full charge on the BMW and drive just electric mode at our destination. The Prime would still start the gas engine even if not wanted.

If any Prime or even the earlier Plug In Prius (PIP) of @bisco meets that owner's requirements ... GOOD! Just our 2017 Prius Prime came in behind our 2014 BMW i3-REx. Replacement of the Prime with the Tesla Model 3 solved a lot of issues including the too often, maddening, uncontrollable engine running below 55 F.

Bob Wilson

 

To be fair, you started this conversation by bring up a study yourself.
The very first reply was from Bob, who’s opening statement was:

As an aside, the studies are not flawed. However, you are absolutely correct that they can’t be used to tell any individual what their costs will be.

A hammer isn’t flawed because it isn’t a wrench. It is just not the correct tool for the job.

This, and other studies give a good overview. As you, Bob, me, and most likely the studies themselves have agreed, they don’t apply to every individual.
For me, EVs are a lot cheaper than the studies would indicate, for Bob, a little cheaper, for you more expensive.

I’d be driving an EV even if it cost me 5 times as much for all the other benefits. But that also varies from person to person.

 

Some thoughts after nearly 10 years of owning a plug-in in south Texas.

Our PHEV uses about 6 gal/week to cover 500ish miles commute. When charging, our electricity is "free" under our TOU electrical plan but truly averages about .04 -.07 cents/kw depending on the time of the year when it comes time to "pay the man" each month. Gasoline is around 2.70 but I also sometimes use my .40 cent/gal discount. Honestly, I don't keep up with gas prices since we use so little.

Our fill ups take :45 secs to 1:15 minute (I began specifically time them for these discussions) giving 300-600 miles range depending on which PHEV. We charge 99.9% at home 7 days/week and each charge "takes" approx. :10 secs each so total fueling times are about the same. NOTE: one PHEV doesn't have a home charging "spot" so the charge cord and receptacle location vary and often means moving more than one vehicle. Playing this game takes more time (and effort) than to fill with gas.

My infrequent ( 2yrs/20,000 miles intervals on C-Max for example) DIY syn. oil changes costs under $30. Normal size tires last 40k + miles. Never have replaced brakes on a hybrid.

This summer we seriously considered a new Model Y LR but in this crazy market opted for a used 2019 Prime; a price difference of about $30k ($40k with FSD). We can add more advanced driving aids with OpenPilot for about $1200 (incredible bang 4 buck).

A few weeks ago, I got a dreaded family emergency phone call at 5 a.m. I needed to be half-way across Texas ASAP to handle matters and take care of some important social/emotional needs. Like NOW. Also, it's a very remote area (aka no chargers). Two weeks later, we'd do it all again for the funeral. Not having to deal with fueling logistics during all of this emotional stress? Priceless.

Until real rapid fill batteries (solid state) AND a truly widespread, functioning and reasonable cost charging infrastructure is in place, we're better off with a PHEV. The same as it was 10 years ago.

YMMV

 

Maybe reliability depends on the manufacturer, or the fact that if it's only charging at 3.3kW, it gets used way way more frequently than one like ours (plugin w/100's of miles of range). It's going to be 8 years old this year.

DIY install & picked up from a Canadian eBay seller that bought a bunch using a Canadian gvmt incentive/credit of some sort, for only $300.
.

 

I throughly agree that local conditions need to be used to calculate operational costs. So I own these and used to own a Prius Prime:

• EPA reports: $500, $750, and $700 annual fuel/electric costs
  • Anderson claims a cost three times higher for an EV with some 'extra' charges just for the EV, not the gas cars
  • Anderson did not know to model biology limits of exceptional gas range.
• Model 3 and Prius Prime are equally EV efficient
  • In EV, the 72 mi EV BMW is a '10 stop' EV car versus the 25 mi EV, '3 stop' Prime
• Prime control laws triggered maddening ICE operation even when not wanted.

On the 1,200 mi delivery drive home, I had to take three biology breaks on the first +600 mile segment. The car was willing but coffee, bathroom, and even a cat nap meant the driver had to take breaks. This is one reason why an EV makes most sense if the range matches the driver's biology limits. Make charging a two-for-one stop for the next segment.

I agree but the maddening Prime control laws would too easily start the gas engine when the temperature was below 55 F. If the Prime 'EV mode' was absolute like the BMW i3-REx, it might have stayed. The Prime is as EV mode efficient as our Model 3 but the control laws, regardless of intention, meant I could not depend on EV mode.

There are use cases and locations where the Prius Prime makes more sense than the BMW i3-REx. For example, in colder climates than North Alabama, like members @john1701a, @bisco, and @Salamander_King, makes running the ICE desirable for cabin heat. In addition, EV operation makes Prime ICE warm-up exceptionally efficient. Sad to say, the BMW has only electric cabin heating. But between the BMW and Prime, it also depends on your work route, 10 miles in my case. In EV mode, the BMW could handle '10 stops' but the Prime only '3 stops.'

The best solution depends on local conditions and mission usage. The Prime is a fine car but the BMW was better for us in Huntsville, AL.

Bob Wilson

 

If you live in a region with high electric rates, and want a plug in, the fueling costs are going to suck compared to the cheap gas most of the US sees. The good news is that those regions are a smaller part of the US.

https://www.globalenergyinstitute.org/average-electricity-retail-prices-map

 

Anderson the study authors are in an electricity expensive region. Small wonder their results are not even close to my Alabama results.

Bob Wilson

 

That may be a smaller geographic area, but isn't it 1/2 of all BEVs are currently registered in California? Ah, here's the quote "California has the greatest number of EVs, approximately 42% of EVs nationwide" ALL ** of California has terrible electric rates.

** there are a few areas with private generation capacity with reasonable rates, but the Big 3 power companies are all paying a game of matching the prices of their competitors, plus a percent or two.

 

You've used this phrase many times. What in the world is a "10 stop" vs a "3 stop". Were you using it as delivery vehicle of some sort?