But not from a total lifecycle perspective. 100000 miles at 25 mpg at $5/gal is $20,000, and that's spread out over the ten years you drive those 100,000 miles.

But not from a total lifecycle perspective. 100000 miles at 25 mpg at $5/gal is $20,000, and that's spread out over the ten years you drive those 100,000 miles. Add in another few thousand in extra maintenance costs for gasoline, subtract out a few thousand for the cost of charging at home, subtract out a bit more to get the charger installed, and for a full size car the fuel savings are about $12,000 up front. For compact cars comparable to cars that get better mileage, that's less.