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Most of my long trips are about half that. Maybe six per year on average. Add two more of my company didn’t pay for a flight and rental car. Typical weekly dis

Most of my long trips are about half that. Maybe six per year on average. Add two more of my company didn’t pay for a flight and rental car. Typical weekly distance? I work from home. So maybe 200 miles per week now. Pre-pandemic, 500 miles per week. Which is why I’d like an electric car as my primary vehicle. In total, I’ve averaged 12,000 miles per year over the last 9 years. One year was over 20,000. There is also the issue of comfort which people tend to forget. I have back issues and all chairs are not created equal. I can sit in my car for 20 hours. I can’t sit anywhere else that long.

heresie-dabord 4y ago
Doing a quick back-of-the-napkin calculation (well, awk in a terminal), I guess you could probably save 1/4 to 1/8 of your annual petrol cost if you were driving an EV. If you currently drive a PHEV with a small 18 kWh battery, you are at least eliminating about half the vehicle's local emissions during the week. All told, if you do 6 long trips each year ( 6 * 4400 km ), a PHEV would make the most sense. Or, as I am sure you have considered, you could use a rental vehicle for your long annual trips. To really offset the cost of a large-battery EV, it makes a big difference to be able to charge at home (Level 2). A large-battery EV saves money especially if one has the possibility to charge at home. Motorway charging takes time and can be expensive.
- kayodelycaon 4y ago
  I’ve done the math. :) The cost of buying a used EV greatly exceeds the cost of fuel and maintenance for the remaining life of my car. 12,000 miles/40mpg = 300 gallons * $4 = $1,200. I’d estimate maintenance and parts are $700/yr average. (Last year is bumping this significantly.) Let’s call total cost $2,000/yr, which is roughly $167 per month. I figure the car will run another 10 years. $20,000 is barely enough to start looking at used EVs. The cost of a rental vehicle for long-distance travel would be much higher than owning my current car.
  - heresie-dabord 4y ago
    A rental would save the wear on your personal wheels, but no lunch is free. ^_^ In addition to whatever you would be paying for a used LBEV, you would likely need to budget a couple of thousand for a Level 2 charger and maybe an upgrade of your electrical panel. In the right circumstances, with whatever rebates are available in your jurisdiction, you might be able to concoct a good deal for yourself and get away from petrol in your daily life. Knowing your financial equation is a sign of sanity. Cheers!

heresie-dabord 4y ago

Doing a quick back-of-the-napkin calculation (well, awk in a terminal), I guess you could probably save 1/4 to 1/8 of your annual petrol cost if you were driving an EV. If you currently drive a PHEV with a small 18 kWh battery, you are at least eliminating about half the vehicle's local emissions during the week. All told, if you do 6 long trips each year ( 6 * 4400 km ), a PHEV would make the most sense. Or, as I am sure you have considered, you could use a rental vehicle for your long annual trips. To really offset the cost of a large-battery EV, it makes a big difference to be able to charge at home (Level 2). A large-battery EV saves money especially if one has the possibility to charge at home. Motorway charging takes time and can be expensive.

kayodelycaon 4y ago
I’ve done the math. :) The cost of buying a used EV greatly exceeds the cost of fuel and maintenance for the remaining life of my car. 12,000 miles/40mpg = 300 gallons * $4 = $1,200. I’d estimate maintenance and parts are $700/yr average. (Last year is bumping this significantly.) Let’s call total cost $2,000/yr, which is roughly $167 per month. I figure the car will run another 10 years. $20,000 is barely enough to start looking at used EVs. The cost of a rental vehicle for long-distance travel would be much higher than owning my current car.
- heresie-dabord 4y ago
  A rental would save the wear on your personal wheels, but no lunch is free. ^_^ In addition to whatever you would be paying for a used LBEV, you would likely need to budget a couple of thousand for a Level 2 charger and maybe an upgrade of your electrical panel. In the right circumstances, with whatever rebates are available in your jurisdiction, you might be able to concoct a good deal for yourself and get away from petrol in your daily life. Knowing your financial equation is a sign of sanity. Cheers!