The Real Costs of Electric Car Ownership - CNET

[bwframe]

The Real Costs of Electric Car Ownership

Estimating the cost of driving electric is more complicated than calculating the cost of driving a conventional car.

www.cnet.com

 

[Destro]

Interested in how the direction of this conversation goes... I find it difficult to discuss electric cars with some folks

I really, really want a Tesla. I think they are neat and the future. I don't care about the environment, I don't care about saving money.

Whenever I mention those 3 things up front, some immediately want to steer the conversation towards how they "don't help the environment as much as claimed" or "it costs more than they say" in a passionate attempt to dissuade me from wanting one.

Bring on the Cybertruck!

 

[HoughMade]

Read the article. It seems well researched. Here's my summary:

What costs more to operate over several years? "it's complicated".

 

[Pepi]

We all know this will turn out to be a government cluster fork

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I watched this video a couple weeks ago. I was impressed at the performance of an EV truck but not surprised at the lack of emphasis on the opportunity costs associated with EVs. (Note that I am not anti-EV. I just don’t think they’re ready for my lifestyle yet.) The math slightly leans towards use of an EV truck…but only if you’re going to pull that load within its charge range. For me, this is the achilles heel of EV—range and recharge time.

If you’re the kind that will drive nearly always in town or very short commutes where you will have ample down time for recharging, an EV may well suit you.

 

[bwframe]

When was the last time the cost of electricity fluctuated down?

What will the price be when more folks adopt EV's?

Will there be competition for business that drives down pricing, like for example evil gasoline?


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[tsm]

Younger folks should wait until fusion power comes online. Then EVs might make more sense if electric rates drop to a penny per kWh or even free. Or, better yet, use that power to usher in a hydrogen transportation system where fillups return to gas stations and EV batteries become obsolete. Got a lot of easily obtainable hydrogen in the oceans if it costs little or nothing to disassociate it.

 

[Haven]

I have thought about getting an Electric car for us for around town, and keeping a gas SUV for long trips and going out remote.

The infrastructure for fast charging of electric cars is a little lacking in the Midwest and non-coastal western states in a lot of places.

I like the thought of electric cars, now that they are just as fast, if not faster on the 0-60, and cna go 300+ miles between charges. However, when I go visit family it is 500+ miles, and there are no fast chargers up there.

Around major cities though, sure why not.

 

[Ark]

Younger folks should wait until fusion power comes online. Then EVs might make more sense if electric rates drop to a penny per kWh or even free. Or, better yet, use that power to usher in a hydrogen transportation system where fillups return to gas stations and EV batteries become obsolete. Got a lot of easily obtainable hydrogen in the oceans if it costs little or nothing to disassociate it.

Yup. Mass use of electric cars is a pipe dream on the current energy system. We'd need actual scifi technology to make it work for everyone.

 

[indyblue]

I like the thought of electric cars, now that they are just as fast, if not faster on the 0-60

That may be true for full charge but acceleration declines as the charge level goes down. Not to mention due to I2R=P, losses from heat become greater (higher heat = higher resistance) so acceleration & range suffers even more.

Batteries have "internal resistance", which causes energy lose (which essentially leads to warming the battery). Power loss through a resistor is proportional to current squared, whereas the power output of the battery is proportional to the current. In other words, double the power out of the battery, and you quadruple the energy losses within. Now that's only for half the time, but you are now back down to double the total energy lost due to internal resistance.

 

[yeti rider]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/10/13/electric-vehicles-grid-upgrade/

I can't get past the look of most of these electric cars. I need a truck, and the cybertruck is so ugly, it needs to sneak up on a carwash.

 

[MrSmitty]

I have thought, for years, that Hybrids are the way to go, Gas for long trips, electric for around town, battery replacement cost would be less than for an all EV, That being said...I'll stick with my gas guzzling F-150 4x4........

 

[HoughMade]

I have thought, for years, that Hybrids are the way to go, Gas for long trips, electric for around town, battery replacement cost would be less than for an all EV, That being said...I'll stick with my gas guzzling F-150 4x4........

I always thought that something like the Chevy Volt, not that necessarily, but the concept that a gas engine is run as efficiently as it can be only to provide electricity for charging and for electric motors to provide motive force.

People get wound up about "battery only" range, but if that was ignored and the battery was relatively small, you would essentially have the optimum mileage of an efficient IC engine without the weight and (replacement) cost of a large battery.

Since electric motors can make boatloads of torque and power, imagine a super-efficient smallish turbo diesel providing the charge and 450hp, torque on par with exceeding the currently large turbo diesels and over 20 mpg towing heavy loads where the large diesels see half that today. In a half-ton application, you could have 400hp, plenty of torque and an unloaded 30+ mpg in mixed driving.

...and never plug in.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I always thought that something like the Chevy Volt, not that necessarily, but the concept that a gas engine is run as efficiently as it can be only to provide electricity for charging and for electric motors to provide motive force.

People get wound up about "battery only" range, but if that was ignored and the battery was relatively small, you would essentially have the optimum mileage of an efficient IC engine without the weight and cost of a large battery.

Since electric motors can make boatloads of torque and power, imagine a super-efficient smallish turbo diesel providing the charge and 450hp, torque on par with exceeding the currently large turbo diesels and over 20 mpg towing heavy loads where the large diesels see half that today. In a half-ton application, you could have 400hp, plenty of torque and an unloaded 30+ mpg in mixed driving.

...and never plug in.

Diesel-electric motive power? That'll never work.

 

[HoughMade]

Diesel-electric motive power? That'll never work.

It's not like we have 90+ years of experience with it or anything.

 

[BigRed]

The Real Costs of Electric Car Ownership

Estimating the cost of driving electric is more complicated than calculating the cost of driving a conventional car.

www.cnet.com

They seem to have omitted the cost that would apply to buyers of ev if not subsidized by taxpayers

 

[Destro]

They seem to have omitted the cost that would apply to buyers of ev if not subsidized by taxpayers

"Tesla has been so successful at selling EVs that its cars long ago ceased to qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit."

 

[bwframe]

"Tesla has been so successful at selling EVs..."

Wonder if that will change, now that Elan is no longer the darling of the left?

Side note; With the administration cramming EV's down our throats, like they did with mandates and lockdowns, wonder how much of the public will be turned away from EVs?


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[Ark]

I always thought that something like the Chevy Volt, not that necessarily, but the concept that a gas engine is run as efficiently as it can be only to provide electricity for charging and for electric motors to provide motive force.

People get wound up about "battery only" range, but if that was ignored and the battery was relatively small, you would essentially have the optimum mileage of an efficient IC engine without the weight and (replacement) cost of a large battery.

Since electric motors can make boatloads of torque and power, imagine a super-efficient smallish turbo diesel providing the charge and 450hp, torque on par with exceeding the currently large turbo diesels and over 20 mpg towing heavy loads where the large diesels see half that today. In a half-ton application, you could have 400hp, plenty of torque and an unloaded 30+ mpg in mixed driving.

...and never plug in.

I agree. I always thought the Volt was the best of both worlds. Electric drivetrain, onboard generator, ability to plug in.

But there's just this quasi-religious sentiment out there that it MUST be all electric or nothing.

 

[MCgrease08]

California driving: Over a quarter of electric car-charging stations in Bay Area not working, study says