Reality check on electric cars

What does it cost to “fill up” an electric vehicle? Is it really cheaper?

Data show it is—if you charge at home—to the tune of a dollar or two each day. But on road trips, the situation reverses if you stop for a fast charge. Gasoline usually wins out.

The WSJ crunched the numbers, with guidance and data from automotive and power experts at IHS Markit and Atlas Public Policy, to figure out the cost of an electric “fill up” compared with local gas prices in 15 U.S. cities.

We chose two popular cars: the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E and the Toyota RAV4, both compact crossover SUVs that seat five.

The all-electric Mach-E costs more up front, but qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Some states also offer incentives to chip away at the higher cost of EVs, such as Illinois, which approved a $4,000 taxpayer-funded rebate for residents to buy an electric vehicle starting in July.

But at-home charging isn’t available to all drivers.

EV ownership is expected to grow to include more apartment and condo dwellers, who will need affordable charging—a big public-policy issue. Workplaces, apartments and spots like grocery stores are adding low-cost or sometimes free stations that charge over a period of several hours, much like home charging.

EV drivers face other costs, too, such as a 240-volt charging station, which costs around $500. Hiring an electrician can add another $500 to $1,500, according to home improvement website HomeAdvisor.

Here, too, incentives might cut costs. Los Angeles utility customers can get a $500 rebate for the EV charger, courtesy of the taxpayers.

EV drivers don’t always benefit from cheap at-home charging. If paying for fast charges at a public station, EV savings largely vanish.

In most cities, drivers will spend about $4 to $12 more to travel 300 miles in the EV.

EV proponents say more fast-charging stations, which repower a battery in about 30 minutes, are a missing ingredient for wider EV adoption.


https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-much-do-electric-vehicles-cost-to-fill-up-compared-with-buying-gasoline-11636626601
 
Putting in a home charging station depends on a number of variables.

The cost of the station aside, every foot of wiring for a 240 VAC system adds about $8 to $12 to the cost. If your service is 100 amp or less or packed were there's no breaker space, add roughly $750 to $1500 for that, not including permits. Permits will add $100 to $500 and if an engineer's stamp is required tack on another $1000.

That's materials and overhead alone.
 
You do not need a level 2 charger. You can plug it into your garage outlet. It takes a few hours, but it does not need attention. It will recharge while you sleep. Just plug it in. Level 2s are expensive. However, as expected, they are getting better and cheaper. The technology has not stalled. There are chargers at stores that work in a very short time. Many top off while they eat or shop.
Range anxiety disappears after a while. You just know the drill.
 
Nordberg said:
The technology has not stalled.
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Yes, the technology is at a dead end. You can't get around the periodic table and laws of chemistry with a battery. You can't design a charging station that gets around the laws of electricity either. Both are already well established and there's no getting around either. The second somebody starts producing a fuel cell vehicle that runs on hydrogen or ammonia, battery cars are finished. The fuel cell is far more practical.
 
T. A. Gardner said:
Yes, the technology is at a dead end. You can't get around the periodic table and laws of chemistry with a battery. You can't design a charging station that gets around the laws of electricity either. Both are already well established and there's no getting around either. The second somebody starts producing a fuel cell vehicle that runs on hydrogen or ammonia, battery cars are finished. The fuel cell is far more practical.
Click to expand...


one of the dumbest comments ever made on the internet...ever.
 
T. A. Gardner said:
Yes, the technology is at a dead end. You can't get around the periodic table and laws of chemistry with a battery. You can't design a charging station that gets around the laws of electricity either. Both are already well established and there's no getting around either. The second somebody starts producing a fuel cell vehicle that runs on hydrogen or ammonia, battery cars are finished. The fuel cell is far more practical.
Click to expand...

Wrong. The charging time has gotten shorter and shorter. There are level 3s that are extremely fast.https://blog.evbox.com/level-3-charging-speed
 
T. A. Gardner said:
That doesn't change the amount of power put in. So while you might charge a particular type of battery quicker, the amount of power used remains the same. The amount of power out of a particular battery, as well as cell voltage, is determined by its size and chemistry.
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All you ever do is prove your clueless
 
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katzgar said:
All you ever do is prove your clueless
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the above is a typical liberal response when faced with the truth, hurl juvenile insults at the person who is telling the truth. Which proves once again that liberalism is a mental disease. "your" LOL.
 
redfish said:
the above is a typical liberal response when faced with the truth, hurl juvenile insults at the person who is telling the truth. Which proves once again that liberalism is a mental disease. "your" LOL.
Click to expand...

All you ever do is prove your clueless
 
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