3 ms·

Cost efficiency is where the money is. Quite literally. Miles per $ is the metric you need to apply to transport. You can fold the life time cost of the vehicle

Cost efficiency is where the money is. Quite literally. Miles per $ is the metric you need to apply to transport. You can fold the life time cost of the vehicle into that metric as well. All the interest, maintenance, inspections, etc. In short, that's why a lot of commercial fleets are transitioning to electric. Dollar per mile is the only relevant metric there. ICE vehicle technology is basically going obsolete rapidly. Commercially, that game is over. And the gap is widening every year. We've had a period where the tax incentives were important, helpful and necessary. But that is increasingly just a nice to have thing. Fundamentally, it's not technically hard to build much lighter and efficient electrical vehicles. So, if the current ones are cost effective now, imagine how much more cost effective they could be.

dreamcompiler 4y ago
This. At $5 per gallon, my 30 mpg ICE car can go 6 miles on $1. My Tesla can go 4 miles with 10 cents worth (1 kWh) of electricity, or 40 miles per $1. Obviously there can be mitigating factors, but even if you drive a 50 MPG ICE car, or your electricity is unusually expensive, or you drive your Tesla at 85 mph and only get 2 miles per kWh, it's still no contest.
- jillesvangurp 4y ago
  The kicker is what happens if you get your kwh at the expense of a one time investment in solar and batteries. The grid or fast charging rate is the worst case in terms of pricing. You can actually charge smarter way cheaper than that. Many fast charging setups essentially only rely on the grid to top off the batteries if solar is not providing enough energy. Basically, if you charge using solar panels that you own, the miles per dollar is a function of maintenance, and purchase cost of the vehicle and panels. The efficiency of the panels or vehicles are not a factor at all since the variable cost is 0$/mile. You only have variable cost when you charge the vehicle somewhere else. The non variable cost is basically the ownership of the vehicle and panels. Which you might simplify via e.g. leasing constructions.

dreamcompiler 4y ago

This. At $5 per gallon, my 30 mpg ICE car can go 6 miles on $1. My Tesla can go 4 miles with 10 cents worth (1 kWh) of electricity, or 40 miles per $1. Obviously there can be mitigating factors, but even if you drive a 50 MPG ICE car, or your electricity is unusually expensive, or you drive your Tesla at 85 mph and only get 2 miles per kWh, it's still no contest.

jillesvangurp 4y ago
The kicker is what happens if you get your kwh at the expense of a one time investment in solar and batteries. The grid or fast charging rate is the worst case in terms of pricing. You can actually charge smarter way cheaper than that. Many fast charging setups essentially only rely on the grid to top off the batteries if solar is not providing enough energy. Basically, if you charge using solar panels that you own, the miles per dollar is a function of maintenance, and purchase cost of the vehicle and panels. The efficiency of the panels or vehicles are not a factor at all since the variable cost is 0$/mile. You only have variable cost when you charge the vehicle somewhere else. The non variable cost is basically the ownership of the vehicle and panels. Which you might simplify via e.g. leasing constructions.