Gas vs EV price difference (update: sorry I misread the electric fees)

[Mach-Tony]

I've already done this math. My Escape PHEV was $33k brand new and then take $6800 rebate from there. That's still a PHEV but you can compare my original $50k MSRP for the MME. I don't understand why everyone tried to push how EVs are so much cheaper when they really aren't. I'm not trying to argue but it's important that people know this - I don't need to worry about money but others do and I keep seeing them add more debt and high costs from not knowing the whole story.

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[KevinS]

I've already done this math. My Escape PHEV was $33k brand new and then take $6800 rebate from there. That's still a PHEV but you can compare my original $50k MSRP for the MME. I don't understand why everyone tried to push how EVs are so much cheaper when they really aren't. I'm not trying to argue but it's important that people know this - I don't need to worry about money but others do and I keep seeing them add more debt and high costs from not knowing the whole story.

You also have to factor in that you're having to maintain an ICE and an EV. I have no interest in that personally.

 

[Gyrfalcon08]

You do have to do the math. For us in California electricity costs have spiked to make it closer than you would think. Even with solar on the roof, my costs are not offset enough to prevent from going into higher tiers at .406 per kWH for some periods amount in the month. But we were talking about two SUVs in the family, and if you compare apples to apples(two large, heavy SUVs), my ICE Grand Cherokee at 17mpg the MachE comes out ahead even at high electricity costs. If you are trying to compare MachE to a small efficient ICE sedan, or hybrid getting 35mpg plus it may not/probably won't be cheaper if your electricity costs are high. But you are comparing a smaller, lighter vehicle without the same interior room or capacity.

 

[Blue highway]

This thread has been repeated a bunch... usually from an edge case state. (dark blue circled in yellow in the graphic below)

https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/

If you live in the light blue areas, electric fuel is cheaper than petroleum fuel at home.

If you live in the dark blue states it's close depending on the price of gas and what you drive.

 

[superdave80]

The whole 'EV vs. ICE' cost thing is going to come down to your specific set of variables. California gas prices vs. Texas gas prices. Will gas prices spike again? Mach-E or Chevy Bolt? What ICE car are you comparing to? A hybrid or SUV? How many miles do you plan to get out of a vehicle before selling? 100k? 200k? Lots of short, low speed trips or long highway trips?

There is no 'right' answer to which is cheaper in the long run; you can get whatever answer you want depending on what variables you put in.

 

[JLee]

I just finished a 1200 mile trip through AZ and CA in my Mustang.
It cost me $36.18.
The last time I traveled this same trip with my ICE, it cost me more than $150.

My Mustang's 10,000 mile service was done in December, and cost $27.00 for a tire rotation and inspection.

My ICE's 5,000 mile service usually costs around $200.

can you share some insights as how you traveled 1,200 miles and only paid $36.18? Did you uses both DCFC and L2 chargers? What was the overall charging time for the trip?

thanks

 

[MacherAWD]

I've already done this math. My Escape PHEV was $33k brand new and then take $6800 rebate from there. That's still a PHEV but you can compare my original $50k MSRP for the MME. I don't understand why everyone tried to push how EVs are so much cheaper when they really aren't. I'm not trying to argue but it's important that people know this - I don't need to worry about money but others do and I keep seeing them add more debt and high costs from not knowing the whole story.

Agreed, but in this scenario a Bolt EUV is probably a closer car than an MME to an Escape. An EUV can be had for under $20k new (where I live)

 

[1969Camaro]

$0.97kwh wtf?

In AZ Super off peak is 3.2 cents/Kw.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

can you share some insights as how you traveled 1,200 miles and only paid $36.18? Did you uses both DCFC and L2 chargers? What was the overall charging time for the trip?

thanks

I used DCFC (150 kW and 60kW), and L2 and L1 charging.

On the way there the charging was pretty much normal (I do this trip at least once every couple of months): DCFC three times on the way to the destination (~500 miles). These stops usually add about 45 minutes total to the trip when compared with driving my ICE vehicle. This time one of the fast DCFC stations was being upgraded by EA so it was unavailable. We used a slower DCFC and added about 15 more minutes to the trip time, but we let the battery go about 5% higher than we normally do (85% instead of 80%) because we were window shopping. I'd say the trip there took about an hour longer than it usually does when I drive the ICE.

While at my destination, I traveled between an office and hotel that both had L2 charging free-to-me. Well, the hotel charged for parking, but they were charging everyone for parking, so the L2 charging was not an extra cost. I also stayed at a family member's during the weekends on both sides of the trip and they gave me free L1 charging.

On the way home, I used the slower DCFC charger at one location (same issue: an upgrade to my usual charging station). This time, though, I napped and ended up with close to 90%. I stopped at a hotel with a free L2 charger and charged from about 30% to about 78% overnight. In the morning, I plugged into the DCFC and charged up to 85% while eating breakfast.

I used DCFC for the rest of the trip, but instead of stopping at a DCFC for the final ~100 miles, I pushed through and arrived at home with 13% SOC (displayed) so I could charge at ~$0.15/ kWh delivered instead of $0.34/kWh delivered at the DCFC. If you count the nap, then the charging time was about 1:30 longer than it would have been with an ICE, but the nap allowed me to feel better about driving during the night, and I've occasionally napped while driving my ICE, so in my mind it's a wash. This trip I needed a nap and would have whether I'd brought my Mustang or my Tacoma.

Note that there are some costs that were born by someone other than me--I would have been happy to pay those costs if the institutes or family would have charged me. Also note that there's no place I know of where I can add fuel to my ICE overnight, so the convenience of several of those free charging sessions would have been worth much more than the cost I would have been charged. I count the "free" L2 charging at hotels to be part of the cost of staying at the hotel--I don't stay at hotels that don't have this option, not even when I'm driving my ICE. That L1 and L2 charging also helped me avoid having to stop during the week for refueling, which I usually have to do at least twice (total of about 20 minutes) when I drive my ICE.

Overall, the charging time that added time to my travel time over what it would have taken in an ICE vehicle was likely no more than about 2 hours total (for a 16-hour drive, that's only about 12% longer travel time). I don't rush at gas stations, mostly because the highway pit stops are usually pretty busy...I can't recall when was the last time I haven't had to wait in line for a gas pump...and I like to stretch my legs at every stop. I don't count overnight charging at an L1 or L2 charger in the overall charging time because that's time I wouldn't be driving anyway.

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