Study: Electric Cars Already Cheaper to Own and Run than Petrol or Diesel

Megalith

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Electric cars are already cheaper to own and run than petrol or diesel cars in the UK, US, and Japan, new research shows. The lower cost is a key factor driving the rapid rise in electric car sales now underway. At the moment the cost is partly because of government support, but electric cars are expected to become the cheapest option without subsidies in a few years.

The researchers analysed the total cost of ownership of cars over four years, including the purchase price and depreciation, fuel, insurance, taxation and maintenance. They were surprised to find that pure electric cars came out cheapest in all the markets they examined: UK, Japan, Texas, and California.
 
They must be smoking something.
Based on the chart:
it is 8-10x cheaper to run electricity vs gas
maintenance is about the same on electric and gas
electrics only depreciate 25% faster than gas

For the first line, no, if you are spending $1000 in gas per year, its not going to drop down to 10 bucks a month added to your electric bill
How the hell does an electric have $100 + per year in fluid changes/belts vs a gasser? Also electric's brakes almost never need replaced
Electrics (defined as an electric version of the same model gasser) cant be given away if they are 2013-2015. You know that additional $10-15k you pay for the electric, that goes out the window, and said car is worth even less than a gasser. Yes a $20k gasser is going to be worth more in 5 years vs a $30k electric.

Notice i did not include subsidies, nor free electric fillup locations, but the article discounts those as well.
 
Oh, really? They think the governments will just watch as their tax cut from fuels shrinks and the price of electricity won't increase due to added taxation?
 
They already did this in the POS Socialist State of Kalifornia. Hybrid or Electric that will be a $100 surcharge on your annual registration fee and they don't even say please. But then they just raised state tax on gas and diesel fuel too. Welcome to the highest taxed state in the union. Dumb ass Libtards. Nope I don't live there anymore, Byte Me Jerry.
 
They already did this in the POS Socialist State of Kalifornia. Hybrid or Electric that will be a $100 surcharge on your annual registration fee and they don't even say please. But then they just raised state tax on gas and diesel fuel too. Welcome to the highest taxed state in the union. Dumb ass Libtards. Nope I don't live there anymore, Byte Me Jerry.

Enjoying my 2017 Volt here in TX, only paying 7 cents per kwh (delivered), no retarded ass fees on top from the state just because I drive an EV/hybrid.

It's a stepping stone for me before I go full EV with a Model 3 in 1 or 2 years, I drive a lot for work and it's so awesome only having to get gas once every 6 weeks instead of twice a week like I used to in my old car (that got 35mpg by the way) The instant torque, 100% silent running, and almost zero maintenance are great.
 
Oh, really? They think the governments will just watch as their tax cut from fuels shrinks and the price of electricity won't increase due to added taxation?

Exactly. If anyone is switching to full-electric so they can save money, you're going to get a rude awakening as ICE's go the way of the typewriter. Sure, there are tons of other benefits to driving electric, but reduced operation fees will only last as long as this tech is in its infancy. Many states are already testing various taxation schemes to balance the books such as paying per mile, additional registration fees, or increased cost of electricity. Though state-income derived from these taxes is, IMO, horribly mismanaged, the money still has to come from somewhere.
 
Exactly. If anyone is switching to full-electric so they can save money, you're going to get a rude awakening as ICE's go the way of the typewriter. Sure, there are tons of other benefits to driving electric, but reduced operation fees will only last as long as this tech is in its infancy. Many states are already testing various taxation schemes to balance the books such as paying per mile, additional registration fees, or increased cost of electricity. Though state-income derived from these taxes is, IMO, horribly mismanaged, the money still has to come from somewhere.

Tax by the mile, I'm fine with that. Ev is still much cheaper. Heck I can drive about 20 miles in my leaf on the electricity it takes to refine a gal of oil - not counting the other costs of pumping or transporting said oil. Even with extra taxes the cost will still be considerably cheaper than gas. Oh and middle East trillion dollar wars go away too!

Other expenses go out the window too. In my 6 years w/ a leaf it's cost me $0 on maintenance. Only been In the shop for a squeek in the passenger door.

For those who have not owned/driven a hybrid or ev, regenaritive breaking is where the break pads are saved
 
They already did this in the POS Socialist State of Kalifornia. Hybrid or Electric that will be a $100 surcharge on your annual registration fee and they don't even say please. But then they just raised state tax on gas and diesel fuel too. Welcome to the highest taxed state in the union. Dumb ass Libtards. Nope I don't live there anymore, Byte Me Jerry.

$100! Holy shit, thats almost a fraction of what I spend on gas in a year. Those commie libtard bastards!
 
I bet they didnt factor in the increased insurance premium. I was considering getting a hybrid Ford Fusion in 2014 but opted to get the Fuel only one. After doing the math, I calculated that all my fuel savings would go directly to insurance premiums versus the gas model, so id decided to save the 10k sticker difference and just get the gas one.
 
As another matter, I dont have to tell the folks around here but these batteries dont last forever (just like your laptop or cell phone) and when that needs replaced, expect to pay for a small car to get a new one (10k or so).
 
They already did this in the POS Socialist State of Kalifornia. Hybrid or Electric that will be a $100 surcharge on your annual registration fee and they don't even say please. But then they just raised state tax on gas and diesel fuel too. Welcome to the highest taxed state in the union. Dumb ass Libtards. Nope I don't live there anymore, Byte Me Jerry.

Besides Californa being a neo-liberal paradise, and not socialist... Californa also isn't the most taxed state in America. They're not even in the top 5 according to Turbo Tax. Top 5 most taxed states is New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, and Wisconsin. According to USA Today, the most taxed states are New York, Hawaii, Vermont, Maine, and Minnesota... Bankrate also has the information as Turbo Tax, except Wisconsin is taxed more than Illinois according to them... ;)
 
Tax by the mile, I'm fine with that. Ev is still much cheaper. Heck I can drive about 20 miles in my leaf on the electricity it takes to refine a gal of oil - not counting the other costs of pumping or transporting said oil. Even with extra taxes the cost will still be considerably cheaper than gas. Oh and middle East trillion dollar wars go away too!

Other expenses go out the window too. In my 6 years w/ a leaf it's cost me $0 on maintenance. Only been In the shop for a squeek in the passenger door.

For those who have not owned/driven a hybrid or ev, regenaritive breaking is where the break pads are saved

Are you fine with them fitting a gps tracker to your car by law, to track that mileage? They will know directly without warrant needed (of your cell phone records etc.) where you went and when. And your speed. Automatic speeding tickets, no cameras or cops needed.

They've been "testing" and "studying" taxing by mile driven for about ten years now in Oregon. They drag it out for a media blurb every so often.
 
I don't know, if you are paying 23c+/kwh I can't see how that can be true. I am pretty sure electric vehicles have belts, fluids, and things like that. Unless they are making them without air conditioning, heaters, or power steering. All of those things need fluids, belts, and maintenance.

They also limit it to 4 years, when the batteries on these cars need to be replaced in ~5 year intervals.

Also, do none of these people drive places other than the grocery store and work? You cannot even cross Texas in these vehicles, much less the country.
 
Gas can be expensive... I spend near 80$/w for gas (premium and I'm located in QC canada, so as of today, cheap price is 1.20$/l or so). That's a little over 4k/y. Our electricity is around 9c per kwh if I recall correctly so EV makes sense... and probable cost way less than ICE. I already started to plan to buy one when I replace my car in 4 years...
 
I love the photo associated with the post. Is that the kind of electric car you all are going to drive in order to have this low operating cost?
 
I don't know, if you are paying 23c+/kwh I can't see how that can be true. I am pretty sure electric vehicles have belts, fluids, and things like that. Unless they are making them without air conditioning, heaters, or power steering. All of those things need fluids, belts, and maintenance.

They also limit it to 4 years, when the batteries on these cars need to be replaced in ~5 year intervals.

Also, do none of these people drive places other than the grocery store and work? You cannot even cross Texas in these vehicles, much less the country.

most people don't go very far from where they live.. as far as maintenance costs it's not really that bad. for example some manufactures have free battery pod replacements like Nissan with the leaf and if you're smart you lease your EV so you can replace it every 3 years and not worry about those issues. i know my parents have been recording their cost savings between my mothers leaf and when she was driving her prius, i'll have to ask her what the cost difference has been so far.
 
Electric is fine if you live in the city and drive a few miles to work or local stores. What if you live somewhere you have to drive 75 miles one way to work? A Leaf would get you there, but unless your boss will let you charge at work, you are walking home. I could drive a Leaf to work myself since it is only 15 miles each way, but it is 120 miles to my family so I would need more range for that drive, and except for local markets, it is a 50 mile drive to any malls or large cities so I would need to rent a gas car just to go there. So for many people an electric vehicle can only be used part of the time, until we start getting those 300 mile range ones.
 
They already did this in the POS Socialist State of Kalifornia. Hybrid or Electric that will be a $100 surcharge on your annual registration fee and they don't even say please. But then they just raised state tax on gas and diesel fuel too. Welcome to the highest taxed state in the union. Dumb ass Libtards. Nope I don't live there anymore, Byte Me Jerry.

Garbage. It depends on the price of gas, the price of electricity, and how much you drive and your type of driving.
Plus they should be comparing similar sized cars. Not everyone can squeeze them selves into a tiny electric car.

For less than the price of a tiny electric car, I can buy mid-side hybrid.
Electricity prices are so high here in Southern California, they make the high gas prices & taxes comparable when driving a Hybrid.

I have a short commute, so I don't put very many miles on my car.
My payback at $3/gallon gas (buying a 40mpg hybrid vs a 25mpg ice) is almost 10 years. An electric car is even worse.
It would cost me MORE per mile for electricity ($.31/kwh) to drive an electric car than it does to put $3/gallon gas in my Hybrid.

Tiny Honda Fit = .29 kWh per mile. 40 miles x .29 = 11.6 kWh. 11.6 kWh x $.31 = $3.60
2013 Camry Hybrid = 40 mpg & $3/gallon = $3 for 40 miles. Even at 35 mpg (what I get in heavy city traffic) it comes out to $3.42 for 40 miles.
The 2018 Camry Hybrid gets 47 mpg, so the cost would be even less.

The electric company offers "other" rate plans, but they either have much higher daytime rates to offset the low nighttime rates, or I'd have to install a 2nd meter just for the car.
The higher daytimes rates don't work if you have someone home during the day (it would cost me even more than the $.31 rate), and the cost to install a 2nd meter would take over 10 years to even break even.

Maintenance on a Hybrid is also less than an Ice. Brakes last as long as then do on an electric car, and I don't even need to have it smog checked here in California.
Just needs it's yearly oil change (every 10,000 miles) since I put much less than that on the car. in a year.

If I was going to buy something small, I'd go with a 54 MPG Prius over any of the current lower priced electric cars.
 
What if you don't drive far? Let say 50 or less miles in a day. Where are the nice big lifted electric trucks with 40"+tires? Now that would be nice. ;)
 
The main concern with EV (My point of view) that I can understand is in the big cities... How in hell can you plug your EV at home when you live in big cities ? (Unless you have a private parking)...
They really need to think of a solar panel like paint for cars... Or a way to transmit power between city infrastructure and cars (like peer to peer so distance would be nulled by cars chain).
 
I don't know, if you are paying 23c+/kwh I can't see how that can be true. I am pretty sure electric vehicles have belts, fluids, and things like that. Unless they are making them without air conditioning, heaters, or power steering. All of those things need fluids, belts, and maintenance.

They also limit it to 4 years, when the batteries on these cars need to be replaced in ~5 year intervals.

Also, do none of these people drive places other than the grocery store and work? You cannot even cross Texas in these vehicles, much less the country.
You're right, you don't know. These systems aren't driven of a serpentine belt... they're driven directly off electric motors.
 
You're right, you don't know. These systems aren't driven of a serpentine belt... they're driven directly off electric motors.

I understand that. But the ac systems, power steering, and all that jazz still need to be driven by something.
 
Are you fine with them fitting a gps tracker to your car by law, to track that mileage? They will know directly without warrant needed (of your cell phone records etc.) where you went and when. And your speed. Automatic speeding tickets, no cameras or cops needed.

They've been "testing" and "studying" taxing by mile driven for about ten years now in Oregon. They drag it out for a media blurb every so often.
That's a heavy handed way. OR you take it to a certified place and have the mileage recorded.
 
Exactly. If anyone is switching to full-electric so they can save money, you're going to get a rude awakening as ICE's go the way of the typewriter. Sure, there are tons of other benefits to driving electric, but reduced operation fees will only last as long as this tech is in its infancy. Many states are already testing various taxation schemes to balance the books such as paying per mile, additional registration fees, or increased cost of electricity. Though state-income derived from these taxes is, IMO, horribly mismanaged, the money still has to come from somewhere.

Increased cost of electricity would suck, cause then you're also stuck paying a higher rate for non-EV electric usage.
 
Tax excuse for passenger vehicles is a load of shit. Muh maintenance? Really it's trucks/heavy vehicles do a vast majority of damage to roads. Taxing electric for the sake of it is just a load of horse shit, the average slave throws away what, 50-60% of their time and effort to 'tax' in various forms as it is.
 
I doubt they mention the fact that the range goes down quite a bit in cold weather. A pretty big factor for those of us that have an actual winter.
 
I understand that. But the ac systems, power steering, and all that jazz still need to be driven by something.

His response to your belt question was idiotic. He must never look under the hood to see how things work.
 
His response to your belt question was idiotic. He must never look under the hood to see how things work.
Please point to the serpentine belt on an electric car.

Without a spinamathing with a minimum speed those accessories all require new drive systems. The alternator is replaced with a DC-DC converter, AC is driven off an electric motor (in the Tesla this is also tied into cabin heat and motor and pack temperature regulation systems), power steering is now an electric motor working in parallel to the pinion. Congratulations, those systems just became maintenance free.

There's a good chance I do more under the hood than you, BTW. I've never paid a cent in labor. I do it all. Refrigeration systems included. Hell, there's literally a naturally aspirated 175hp/L engine on my bench right now.
 
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I'd be happy to go electric, but the math doesn't work unless you're already rich and then it's not about saving money at all.
 
Electric vehicles need to pay some form of "gas tax" because they are using the roads. One of the major reasons for the decline in road conditions and a states inability to repair, replace, and improve existing roads, bridges and overpasses is lower revenue from the gas tax. The gas tax is adequate, it just needs to be collected from every vehicle traveling the roads in some form, be it conventional gas tax or extra registration fees for electric vehicles. I would also support the charging of a registration and license fee for bicyclists for the same reason. I generally do not support any tax increases, especially bond initiatives for schools, but allowing electric vehicles to use the roads for free is unfair and puts an increased burden on gasoline and diesel vehicles.
 
Electric cars are probably cheaper to own and run than ICEs, no fluids and filter replacements, but repairs and and other EV component replacement are probably not.

Electricity here is 25+ cents per k/w so it'll be expensive to charge electric cars... but then 80 octane fuel is $4.059 per gallon, with a quart of oil costing $8.95... Stupid expensive this tiny island is. Also, no auto-techs that can repair EVs, we had several hybrid cars on the island that couldn't be repaired so they are now lawn art.
 
Electric cars are probably cheaper to own and run than ICEs, no fluids and filter replacements, but repairs and and other EV component replacement are probably not.

Electricity here is 25+ cents per k/w so it'll be expensive to charge electric cars... but then 80 octane fuel is $4.059 per gallon, with a quart of oil costing $8.95... Stupid expensive this tiny island is. Also, no auto-techs that can repair EVs, we had several hybrid cars on the island that couldn't be repaired so they are now lawn art.

They'll still have wind shield washer fluids and cabin filters. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually make coolant systems for the batteries.

I know the Honda hybrids you can still drive if the battery dies. Just have the dealer disconnect it. The Prius you're shit out of luck if that battery dies.
 
Please point to the serpentine belt on an electric car.

Without a spinamathing with a minimum speed those accessories all require new drive systems. The alternator is replaced with a DC-DC converter, AC is driven off an electric motor (in the Tesla this is also tied into cabin heat and motor and pack temperature regulation systems), power steering is now an electric motor working in parallel to the pinion. Congratulations, those systems just became maintenance free.

There's a good chance I do more under the hood than you, BTW. I've never paid a cent in labor. I do it all. Refrigeration systems included. Hell, there's literally a naturally aspirated 175hp/L engine on my bench right now.

Then I stand corrected! And I salute another DIY motor head :)
 
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