Posted on 11/24/2021 3:16:48 PM PST by Jacquerie
Learn more about the experience of going green and the cost of electric vehicle ownership.
Concern for the environment and lower long-term costs has led millions of Americans to say they’d be likely to consider an electric car for their next automotive purchase. But many still have serious questions about how making the switch would impact their routine—and their wallets.
Here are facts to help you better understand how electric vehicles (EVs) can affect your bank account and the environment, and what to consider if you’re thinking about getting one.
How far can an EV go on a charge? Most EVs can run about 200 miles on a single charge. In comparison, a typical gas-powered vehicle has a range of 400 to 500 miles on a tank of gas. However, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, U.S. drivers travel an average of 31 miles per day.
Electric vehicle consideration: Do you plan to use it for commuting or long distances? It’s best to find an electric car with an operating range that exceeds your expected use. EV range is reduced by 41% when temperatures drop to 20 F and the car’s heater is used, and by 17% when they rise to 95 F and the car’s air conditioning is used, according to AAA research.
How long does it take to charge a battery? The short (and unhelpful) answer: It depends. Recharging a depleted battery with household current can take 12 hours or more—a problem if you’re in a hurry but not if you simply charge the vehicle overnight. Many public chargers are faster, with some able to replenish half of the battery’s range in less than an hour.
Electric vehicle consideration: Are you willing to upgrade your electric service at home to support faster charging? And what is the availability of charging stations where you typically drive? There were more than 43,000 EV charging stations in the United States as of summer 2021—but only about 5,000 were fast charging stations, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Availability varies widely by state, but you can find charging station locations through the AAA Mobile app (see them at the Near Me map filter). One other thing to know: AAA Roadside Assistance is beginning to offer charging capability on its vehicles in some cities and states—so a recharge could be as close as your phone.
re EVs affordable to buy? EVs start at a little more than $30,000; high-end EVs can run to six figures. But be sure to check for federal, state and local incentives, which can bring down the price.
Electric vehicle consideration: Think about friends and family who own EVs and talk to them about the experience. AAA surveyed EV owners and found that:
96% of respondents said they would buy or lease another EV. 43% said they drove more now than they did with a gas-powered vehicle. 78% reported also having a gas-powered vehicle in their household, but they said they did most of their driving (87%) in their EV. Are maintenance costs higher for EVs than for gas-powered vehicles? No. AAA research from 2019 indicates that although the overall cost of EV ownership1 is 8% more than gas-powered vehicle ownership (because of higher depreciation and finance costs), some individual expenses are substantially lower.
The cost of electricity to drive 15,000 miles a year averages $546; the cost of gas to drive the same distance is $1,225.
Electric vehicles don’t require oil changes or engine air filter replacements. If an EV is maintained according to automaker recommendations, it costs $949 annually to maintain, $330 less than a gas-powered car.
Are electric vehicles really that green?
Total emissions associated with driving EVs are still typically less than those for gasoline-powered cars.
Although EVs produce zero direct emissions, emissions may be produced by the source of their electrical power, such as a power plant, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Conventional vehicles, on the other hand, produce direct emissions through the tailpipe, through evaporation from the vehicle’s fuel system and during the fueling process.
You can estimate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with charging and driving an electric vehicle where you live by visiting this calculator from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Yes!!..but I need to know where that free electricity is coming from....Coal?...Gas?...Oil or Nuclear?...,
it will make a difference in my “total” calculations ..../s
“Lithium batteries come from lithium mines like this one.”
That is a gold mine.
Electric vehicles, like solar and wind green energy sources, are quite good for specific purposes, but they have serious limitations. I wouldn’t own one as my only vehicle, but they wouldn’t be bad for daily commuting. Most people are still going to want a gas vehicle for long road trips, which are arguably rare for many people. However, why buy an electric vehicle with their range and charging limits when a gas vehicle can easily fill both roles, commuter and long trips?
Subtract the loss of time and fuel consumed in additional operating hours by same folks going about real business and being held up by the battery powered pavement porpoises attempting to ply highways designed for vehicles that actually were intended to use them and the tingly leg is all that’s left, nothing more than peed pants. Too stupid, you can’t wake the woke.
>No mention of battery life and replacement cost which is significant.
Not to mention recycling toxic waste from the spent batteries.
That's the plan the ChiComs have.
Build hundreds of coal fired power plants to run electric cars and save petroleum for their military.
We'd use the gas car for long trips and the EV for most of the miles of regular commutes/errands. Not trying to save the world from a make-believe catastrophe like the Dims keep pushing. (I'm one of the few who believe global warming exists, but it's not a bad thing -- it's a good thing called the Current Warming Trend and is a much better climate to live in than the cooling periods like the Little Ice Age and the Dark Ages.) But I'd like a little diversity in my energy consumption: if electricity rates go sky high we'll lean more on the gas car, and vice versa.
Also relevant is the strength of my solar system. I recently converted my remaining gas appliances to electric and even with that there are still about 80% of my days in the fall in which my solar batteries are fully charged (read: have excess power not being used that could be used to charge an EV for "free"). I expect that to drop in the winter then increase bigly in the spring and summer. We'll see. So far I like the fact that I've grumbled less than I otherwise would have over Brandon jacking up the prices of natural gas and electricity.
In Indiana you pay a road funding surtax on your yearly registration for an ev or hybrid.
“50% of electricity is lost in transmission.”
Did you make that nonsense up?
Notice they did not asked the question: are you willing to have your neighbors pay to upgrade the electrical service in your neighborhood so that you can charge your car?
That’s true value.
The price of used cars (and a lot of auto parts) has gone nuts under Brandon.
I used to be able to find decent beaters for 3 grand or so, now they’re 5 or 6. 80 dollar tires went to 120.
Even simple stuff like 3 dollar oil filters are 5 now.
Nope.
EVs? No thanks...not in this lifetime,not in the next.
For jarwulf:
And when the eco-nazis prevent the construction of an adequate number of electrical power plants, where do you expect to get the juice?
The Party, the rat party must destroy the middleclass to achieve their goals. Assume this is their purpose, and all of the destructive efforts these past ten months make sense.
Yup!...lol...just like nuclear power...”once” the technology catches up electricity will almost be free.../s
Electric vehicles were foisted off on the American People back in 1976. They went over like a lead balloon.
I saw a car lot full of these, new, back in 1976 Tulsa. Never saw one on the street.
https://cdn.carbuzz.com/gallery-images/840x560/80000/0/80002.jpg
For now. ICE tech has long hit a ceiling (as you can tell by weak anemic economy cars and powercars that drink like a fish) that will be far surpassed by future battery and EV developments. Not to mention EVs are way simpler mechanically and thus have a huge edge in inherent reliability. You can be against the nonsense policy of Dems today but be rationally optimistic about technology tomorrow.
We should have built out our nuclear infrastructure. Even if artificially froze the inevitable RandD that would have improved it we’d have cheap electricity. But then they wouldnt be able to squawk about global warming.
I see a lot of stuff like Crown Vics in taxi service that run 400,000 miles. I'll be interested to see how many evs do that on the original battery.
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