A Redditor who recently bought an electric vehicle crunched the numbers to test one of the biggest myths of driving an EV.
In a post on the r/electricvehicles subreddit, the poster began by writing "I hear a lot of people telling me lately that the cost of charging an EV is more expensive than filling up an ICE vehicle."
They disclosed that most of those claims come from drivers of gas-powered (aka ICE) vehicles, and they "seem to find every opportunity to call out EVs."
The Redditor said they own both a gas-powered Genesis and a Genesis EV. So, who better to test the skeptics' theory in their local Bay Area?
The OP's conclusion in a nutshell: "Even using the most expensive EV chargers in my area, charging the EV is at least 25% cheaper per mile than the ICE version."
At the local going rate of $5.35/gallon of gas, each mile in their gas-powered car cost 21 cents in fuel. Meanwhile, the EV cost was either 16 cents a mile for the most expensive fast charger or 9 cents a mile at a cheaper charger located at work.
Either way, the OP's research further debunks the myth that charging an electric vehicle costs more than refueling a gas-powered one, except for in rare situations. This doesn't even get into more affordable options like home charging, which can be made even cheaper by generating your energy with solar panels to power your EV.
Of course, the overall cost of a car can include other expenses like maintenance, which is another win for EVs as they boast industry-low costs.
There's a lot to unpack in the EV vs. gas-powered vehicle debate, but on the fuel-cost side, we should have some consensus.
🗣️ If you were going to purchase an EV which of these factors would be most important to you?
🔘 Good driving range 🔋
🔘 Affordable sticker price 💰
🔘 High-tech safety features 😌
🔘 Cheap maintenance costs 🛠️
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Redditors had a range of opinions on the usefulness of the OP's breakdown.
One commenter dismissed the exercise entirely, claiming "no one I know charges exclusively at commercial chargers" and that "99% of charging happens at home, for the vast majority of EV owners."
Other users, including the original poster, countered, with one person citing renters, for example, as a group to whom the comparisons apply.
"Doing the maths does at least help to continue highlighting why people who can't charge at home are unlikely to make the switch to EV and flags the need to consider how this will be addressed," a Redditor opined.
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