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Yes, that is one of the EV issues. Primarily why, I assume, hybrids and electric cars like the Volt have seen more widespread use because they have a gasoline f
by maxmcd 14y ago
Yes, that is one of the EV issues. Primarily why, I assume, hybrids and electric cars like the Volt have seen more widespread use because they have a gasoline fallback. The popular counter argument is that the vast majority of daily driving amounts to less than 40 miles.
- BruceIV 14y agoFair enough - but you'd need a charging station at your destination to make the OP's argument work, because if you charge your car at home every night like your phone, you're on the hook for the electricity (which probably costs more per mile than gasoline - I don't know, but I know it's cheaper to heat with diesel then electricity, so I assume auto fuel is similar)
- bosie 14y ago> which probably costs more per mile than gasoline Though electric cars are much more efficient [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car#Energy_efficiency https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car#Energy_efficiency
- rtkwe 14y agoVery incorrect. A short back of the napkin calculation: 286mi/85kwh / .12 (dollar per kilowatt hour) = 28 miles per dollar or .03 per mile. Gasoline on the other hand is: 30 mpg / 3.50 (dollar per gallon) = 8.5 miles per dollar or .11 per mile Electricity comes out far better. Cars are much less efficient than heaters at capturing the stored energy from it's fuel. With a heater you have the benefit of insulation and none of the losses associated with moving a hunk of metal through air.
- BruceIV 14y agoThanks.
- greenyoda 14y agoIn NYC, I pay a total of 41 cents per kilowatt hour (including supply charges, delivery charges, fees and taxes) for my electricity. (Source: my latest electric bill. Total of $56.36 for 137 kWh.) Using that cost in your calculation would yield 8.2 miles per dollar, or .12 dollars per mile. -
- BruceIV 14y agoIn southern Ontario, I pay 6.5 cents/kWh (off-peak, say the "charge at night" scenario I mentioned as a hypothetical.) and $4.50/gallon for gas. (the exchange rate between Canadian and American dollars is even right now). -- That's 0.15 $/mile for gas and 0.02 $/mile for electric. ... huh, so I'd be saving nearly about $850 $/yr with an electric car, even though I only drive about 6500 mi/yr (though half of that is the cross country trip to visit my folks). That said, my car only cost $5500, so it would take longer than the life of the car to pay off the difference to a Tesla.
- rtkwe 14y agoWhat's your gasoline cost like though? Similarly expensive I'd wager? These number have to be compared together to be worth a damn. Though yes the numbers make more sense in areas with lower per KWh costs. Cars barely make sense in NYC to begin with it seems though, who's that much of a masochist.
- greenyoda 14y agoA gallon of gas costs around $4.00 here right now, not much different from the $3.50 assumption in the original calculation. Lots of people in NYC have cars. NYC isn't just Manhattan, and much of the area in the outer boroughs is more suburban than urban and not accessible via subway.
- rtkwe 14y agoLarge areas like NYC are also going to be the first to have the super charger networks rolled out to them and also more likely to have charging stations available in car parks. But yes home charging doesn't make sense everywhere yet.