Over burgers and beers the other night, a couple of friends and I discussed the idea of cost-per-mile on our various vehicles. That led to a more specific discussion on fuel costs (rather than aggregated fuel, service, tax, insurance costs), which led (devolved?) to a comparison with EVs. None of us has an EV, so we quickly reached the point where we didn't know how to figure something like "fuel cost per mile" for such a vehicle.

So. The question that stalled our discussion was, "do the EV chargers have a meter that tells how many kilowatt-hours are consumed by the process?"

EV’s will tell you how many miles per KWH you achieve.

Then you have to figure out how much your electricity costs and do the math.

I didn’t buy my EV for cost savings. I bought it because of the instant torque and the fun factor!

I’m not a planet savior…

quote:

Originally posted by PR64:
EV’s will tell you how many miles per KWH you achieve.

So, the car gives you the numbers for your math, rather than the charger giving them. Got it!

Yes but it will also tell you how much KWH are added during the charging cycle.

I have never cared enough to figure it out because I don’t care about it. I also charge from my solar panels and power wall.

A buddy of mine told me his Tesla is $16 to fill it from 20% and he could go 250 miles or so.

Like gas it depends on the car and then the price of electric in your area.

Forget for the moment actual performace. You can get a comparative number from the EPA DOT new car label and convert it to $ at whatever fuel cost you like.

From what I have read the Mach E averages 2.5-3.5 KWH miles.

It is highly variable depending on many factors. Temperature, terrain, wind, use of the go pedal are the dominant factors.

I would think that I’m on the lower side of efficiency because of how I drive

Another factor is where and how do you charge, also what time of day do you charge it. Rates vary depending on the time of day.

DCFC = Public fast chargers can have higher rates during peak hours too and vary between locations and companies.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by PR64:

EV’s will tell you how many miles per KWH you achieve.

So, the car gives you the numbers for your math, rather than the charger giving them. Got it!

Depends on the charger. My car tells me how many kwh are added for each charge. The charger? Maybe. Every public charger that I have used, does show it on the display, and shows the cost, if any. To date, I have not paid anything at a public charger. The city (Apopka, FL) has a public access charger in the Public Works Department's parking lot. It's free. Not sure, but it might be solar powered. The chargers at the local Whole Foods store are also free, when they are working.

The sales guy told me that I can charge for free at any General Motors (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC) dealer in the country. I visited the dealer a few times for a free charge while I was waiting for the electrician to install the 240V wiring for the Emporia charger in my garage.

My Emporia charger gives me a lot of information, including the amount of energy added during a charging session. Not the charger directly, it only has a few status LED lights, but the app has a lot of information. As far as cost for home charging, the power company does not make it easy to figure that. I know how many KWH I've used, but trying to figure out the actual cost per KWH hurts my brain. The cost can vary, depending on how much electric power I have used during the billing period, kind of like tax brackets with the IRS. The power company bills a subtotal for KWH, then adds taxes and junk fees. Some customers are on a time-dependent billing program, where electric power used during off hours (over night) costs less than prime time. The charger app and / or the vehicle charging system can be set so that you plug the charger into the EV when you get home, but the actual charging does not start until the off-hour low rate kicks in. The power company also offers fixed rate billing, same bill every month. So, to answer your question, it's not easy to figure "fuel" costs. If I were to forego the convenience of charging at home and only use the free charging available to me, total "fuel" cost could conceivably be ZERO.

Typically , EV’s that travel interstate use an app like Chargepoint. It geolocates charging stations and pays for the charge. The app will tell you exact cost per mile or kw.

Gallons of Gasoline Equivalent (GGE)

1 GGE = 33.40 kWh

I know a energy researcher who has a whole table of numerous energy sources converted to GGE.

What do the at home chargers cost with installation? That’s a cost that should be included in the comparison.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
My Emporia charger gives me a lot of information, including the amount of energy added during a charging session. Not the charger directly, it only has a few status LED lights, but the app has a lot of information.

I think Mr. V-Tail is on the path with my question; maybe I didn't ask it well enough to begin with.

What we were actually looking for is the energy consumption at the charger, rather than between the battery and the car's systems.

Example: If I drove my EV over to Mr. V-Tail's house and asked to charge it, we'd want to know how much of the kWh consumption stated on his next bill could be contributed to my charging the EV at his house.

Long after we have that number and as a separate discussion (and with a lot more beer!) we would dive into the ugly math of time-dependent billing, taxes, fees, initial charger cost, and other such mess. (Thankfully, things here in Frog Level are simple -- use a kWh, pay for a kWh... doesn't matter what time of day you use it.)

I also do some rough math on my Model 3. It has a 81kWh battery and my electricity is $0.07 a kwh. I can charge from 0% to %100 if I wanted for around under $6. Depending on how it's drove between 300-350 mile range.

I mean rough math but it's basically to compare to cost of gas I get around 150 miles a gallon +/-.

Once again. Not saving the planet. Just enjoy the torque. 3 years in and I've rotated the tires and added washer fluid.

Home Charger was $400 and around $200 for a install with a dedicated 60amp breaker.

With no engine, you don't have to do, for example, oil changes, or other repairs associated with engines. A point in favor of the EV. (Not that I want one.) Maintenance of wear items should also factor in, not just fuel vs. electric bill costs.

I might be dumb, but is there any loss from the charger to the batteries?

ie If you use 33kwh from the charger, do you get a 33kwh in the battery?

I went from a $300/week fuel bill, to $30-40/month increase in my electric bill.

I was driving a twin turbo V8 Mercedes so the mileage was awful.

Depreciation is the main cost in an electric car.

More or less, I think my Tesla 3 performance costs about as much to drive per mile as a Camry.

I’m on my second one, this one seems to really be eating tires. Not sure what’s going on/maybe it was the all urban driving in Miami.

My old one was switched to 18” wheels to improve the ride. Might do something similar to this one if I keep it - the Y or X might be easier with the baby/especially if there are more babies. )

I figured that you guys would be disappointed if I didn’t post a pic of my Mustang in this thread

quote:

Originally posted by dbgeek:
I might be dumb, but is there any loss from the charger to the batteries?

ie If you use 33kwh from the charger, do you get a 33kwh in the battery?

There is a loss. I've read 10%-15%.

My cost per mile is almost nothing. I have a low cost EV, and I have solar on the house. In almost 11 years, of dailying an EV, just tires when it needs it, 12V replacement (similar or same to ICE), in cabin air filters, and a brake flush at year 5 or so. It’s the solar panels, however, that make cost per mile nil. I don’t bother calculating it because for me it’s pointless. My EV has a forum, and the accountants on there have calculated per mile cost and they stated it was the cheapest newer car to drive, period. They didn’t have solar and were charging off the grid and it was still the cheapest thing out there. EV’s bust your balls if you go for a pricey one. Grab a slightly used one, where someone else ate all the depreciation, and get it on the cheap they are hard to beat for a commuter/beater. Go for that expensive shit then throw all that out the window.

Love my Honda EV

Not here to save the world.