Gas vs Electric cost

[coxscars]

What’s the cost breakdown for Gas vs Electric?

 

[FL4XE]

It depends on the cost of electricity where you live if you are charging at home. Public access chargers vary greatly, some being free, some being free for an hour or two, some having crazy expensive costs either by kWh or time. You can look on PlugShare app in your area to get a feel for it. The standard battery has a capacity of 52.7kWh and the extended range is 84.3kWh. Multiply that by your electric rate for the cost. Some utilities even have a flat monthly cost where they also install a charger.

I have a charger at home. For me to charge the standard Slate battery from 0% to 100% would cost $6.22 and the larger battery would be $9.95. Taking the standard range of 150miles that would require 5 gallons of gas assuming 30MPG which would cost about $15 here. You also have to consider no oil changes, air filter, spark plugs and all of the other maintenance that is required with a gas engine.

 

[E90400K]

The math exercise shows:

For public charging the internet shows the national average is $0.45 per kWh. The national average for regular gasoline today is $3.16. Assuming a 25 MPG car and the Slate at 150 miles per 52.7 kW, the gas car costs 12.6 cents/mile and the Slate at 15.8 cents/mile. Change to at home charging at $0.13/kWh and the Slate drops to just 4.5 cents/mile.

Add in the estimate average for maintenance per mile: EV $0.06 and ICEV at $0.10, a 4-cent delta, and EV on public fuel vs. ICE and the running cost is about even.

Charge at home and the EV has a $0.12 advantage.

More math. At 12,000 annual miles, the worst on public fuel the EV saves just $100/year vs. ICEV and on home electricity the ICEV costs $1,450 more/year than the EV.

 

[TRP]

E90400K and FL4XE explain very well that the best case for EV ownership is if you can charge at home regularly and only use public DCFC for road trips.

Both very good examples but you should look at your local electricity rates. If you have cheaper rates, say from 9pm-7am, you could save even more.

 

[JeffVA]

For me I would not even consider an EV if I couldn't charge it at home. It would be such a PITA if I had to rely on public charging that any savings wouldn't even matter. I would gladly pay 4 times more for an ICE that I could fill up ANYWHERE in around 2 minutes compared to finding a charger location SOMEWHERE and hoping for a spot where you can plug in for 30-45 minutes and wait. Even a PHEV would be a no go.

Cost alone is definitely not the deciding factor

 

[Slater]

What’s the cost breakdown for Gas vs Electric?

I currently own a Tesla Model 3 Long Range and plan on buying a Slate Truck. The electric cost in my situation is substantially cheaper than gas. To really maximize your savings it is important to charge at home or work where your costs can be as low as free (solar) or in my case about 9.5 cents/kWh.
Yesterday, I drove 133.98 miles and i used 33.78 kWh. This is a little over $3 in electric cost. If I still had my RAV4, that day would have cost me about 5 gallons of gas or over $15. This figure also does not include oil change costs.

 

[Anthropod]

Great thread so far—lots of strong insights already shared.


Just to add a bit from my own experience: My wife and I both drive Mustang Mach-Es, and we’ve found the cost and convenience really depend on your charging setup. We live about 60 miles from a nuclear plant and are on a pretty clean energy grid here in NC, with most of our power coming from nuclear and renewables. Our average rate is around 12–13¢/kWh, so charging at home is incredibly affordable.


In fact, in over two years, we’ve only used public charging five times on her car, and maybe four or five times on mine (I got it last October). We mostly charge at home and, in her case, at her workplace, which has solar panels that significantly offset costs. When we do use public chargers, the price can vary wildly—I’ve paid anywhere from 24¢ to 56¢/kWh. At those rates, the cost starts to look a lot like filling up a gas car, especially when factoring in the longer time commitment.


But here’s what I keep coming back to: if you can charge at home or work, the day-to-day convenience of EV ownership is unmatched. No oil changes, fewer maintenance headaches, and you just plug in when you get home—done. Whenever I hop back in my gas-powered F-150 or my Abarth and have to stop at a gas station, I’m reminded just how much I don’tmiss it.


For me, EVs make sense because I can avoid public charging 95% of the time. If that weren’t the case, I’d be more hesitant, especially for someone who travels often or doesn’t have charging access at home.


So yeah—like others have said, it depends. But in the right setup, EVs are not just cheaper; they’re better.

 

[The Weatherman]

For those folks out there that don’t currently drive an EV I think they will be amazed at the difference in the driving experience between an EV and an ICE vehicle. The cost savings are nice, but the convenience of home charging and the driving experience are a key factor in my decision to go fully EV.

If you haven’t test driven an EV yet, I highly encourage you to do so.

 

[Hooligan]

I had a buddy ask me this a few months ago so I dug down and estimated the cost. For our area in Colorado, charging my Kona EV from less than 30% to 100% cost less than $3 (done overnight when electricity is cheapest in our area).

Meanwhile, my previous Acura MDX that needed premium gas cost at least $60 per fillup.

 

[Hooligan]

EVs are an upgrade in every way. No more gears, and I loved shifting, both my old 5-speed BMW 330i and an Acura with paddle shifters. EVs just pull hard in a perfectly linear fashion, no gears, just acceleration. Plus, the only fluid you need to change is wiper fluid. No more belts and hoses and fluid changes like ICE cars need, so your overall wear and tear might be higher for tires -depending on how throttle happy one is -but cheaper in a big way for everything else.

 

[skidoofast]

What’s the cost breakdown for Gas vs Electric?

I just watched a video of a gal that has a Tesla, she stated she charges ONLY at home, off-peak.

she puts on 1,100 miles a month

electricity was about 4,500 KWH for the full year and cost was about $270 for the year

at equal a bout to about .06 per KWH which is about what we pay for off peak on our floor heat in our basement

she also stated the home charging station was was $1,300 installed and was reimbursed as a credit by her electric company

 

[cvollers]

For those folks out there that don’t currently drive an EV I think they will be amazed at the difference in the driving experience between an EV and an ICE vehicle. The cost savings are nice, but the convenience of home charging and the driving experience are a key factor in my decision to go fully EV.

If you haven’t test driven an EV yet, I highly encourage you to do so.

There is nothing like instant 100% torque.

 

[The Weatherman]

There is nothing like instant 100% torque.

Not mention how smooth execration is at any speed. My Lightning rides as well as a lot of luxury vehicles I’ve driven in the past.

It really hard to explain. People need to just try it for themselves.