What “MPG” are you getting?

[20andOut]

Prior to buying my Lightning, I did some deep dives into operating costs. Commuting to work 4 days a week makes up most of my driving. Basically, it’s a combination of highway speed and “stop and go” rush hour driving, averaging 5-35 mph. Approx. 80 miles round trip, one way almost exclusively highway speeds 55-65 mph); return trip is around 70% stop and go.

My calculations, unless I’m completely off (and I wholeheartedly admit I suck at math), look like this:

Home charging averages around $0.11-13 per kWh. With 1.8-2 miles/kwh. So, somewhere around $0.05-6 cents per mile.

If gas is say $3.50/gallon, with somewhere around an avg of 22mp, that works out to give or take $0.16/mile for a gas vehicle.

Hoping someone way smarter than me at crunching numbers will be able to tell if I’m completely delusional….

Altogether, all of the reports I’ve read in Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Edmunds, and other trade mags consistently say operating costs of an EV average 40% of the cost of gas vehicles.

What are you all getting?

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[BhamDCam]

Your math is correct.

My lifetime average over +26k miles is 2.2 mi / kWh. I live in the South where extreme cold isn’t an issue, but it’s quite hilly where I live so that impacts it some. When it’s warm outside I often see +3 mi / kWh on my round trip commute to take the kids to school - but it’s only 10 miles total and all back roads.

Depending on where you live and time of year, you might actually see even higher mi / kWh than your estimate.

EDIT: it’s incredible to me that my full size truck regularly gets well over 50 mpge. My truck on its worst, least efficient day can still be 150% more efficient than my wife’s hybrid on its absolute best day.

 

[20andOut]

Your math is correct.

My lifetime average over +26k miles is 2.2 mi / kWh. I live in the South where extreme cold isn’t an issue, but it’s quite hilly where I live so that impacts it some. When it’s warm outside I often see +3 mi / kWh on my round trip commute to take the kids to school - but it’s only 10 miles total and all back roads.

Depending on where you live and time of year, you might actually see even higher mi / kWh than your estimate.

EDIT: it’s incredible to me that my full size truck regularly gets well over 50 mpge. My truck on its worst, least efficient day can still be 150% more efficient than my wife’s hybrid on its absolute best day.

Thanks for the feedback and sharing your experience! Encouraging. We have dealt with a ton of cold weather here in the mid Atlantic, and the garage is too small for the truck so I’m parked outside. Flatter terrain than you it sounds like, but still, it’s pretty impressive that a 4 ton truck does as well as it does. The one pedal setting is awesome, and once I got used to it, driving is more fun…reminds me of feathering a clutch on a standard transmission…

 

[Jseis]

2.38 mi/kwh in 56K miles. Just under 80 mpge. At $.064/kwh… saved some $$$. 93 miles a day in coastal Wa. Rural 2 lane, variable small town speeds, open country roads 55 mph max but curves keep avg under 50, about 48-49 mph. I’ve averaged 2.4 on warm days w/tailwind on Interstate 90 East of Cascades while rolling at 65 mph.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Electricity in Massachusetts is costly................. I like to compare with my former truck which is neck & neck raw cost per mile 20.9c vs 20.6c, but the price of diesel today is now $5.399/g not the former lifetime average of $3.141/g

 

[DNap4]

Getting on average about 2.8mi/kWh since it started warming up in central VA. Dominion cost at this efficiency is about 0.05c/mi. At current standard gas now at $4.0/gallon, I’m getting about 80mpge.

On my days where I’m mostly city driving with rolling hills and regenerative breaking, I can sometimes average over 3.1 mi/kWh. This truck is significantly more cost effective than my old sedan when gas is over $3.20/gallon.

 

[kf59]

Prior to buying my Lightning, I did some deep dives into operating costs. Commuting to work 4 days a week makes up most of my driving. Basically, it’s a combination of highway speed and “stop and go” rush hour driving, averaging 5-35 mph. Approx. 80 miles round trip, one way almost exclusively highway speeds 55-65 mph); return trip is around 70% stop and go.

My calculations, unless I’m completely off (and I wholeheartedly admit I suck at math), look like this:

Home charging averages around $0.11-13 per kWh. With 1.8-2 miles/kwh. So, somewhere around $0.05-6 cents per mile.

If gas is say $3.50/gallon, with somewhere around an avg of 22mp, that works out to give or take $0.16/mile for a gas vehicle.

Hoping someone way smarter than me at crunching numbers will be able to tell if I’m completely delusional….

Altogether, all of the reports I’ve read in Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Edmunds, and other trade mags consistently say operating costs of an EV average 40% of the cost of gas vehicles.

What are you all getting?

Another way to peel this orange is to start with 33.7 kWh equivalent per gallon of gasoline. Assuming your 2 mi/kwh is accurate, then your equivalent ICE efficiency is 67.4 mpg. Even if you were paying equivalent of gasoline for electricity, you would still be way ahead of your ICE self in some alternate universe.

 

[hammer thumb]

It’s a no brainer. If you charge at night, your cost per a miles is significantly less with an EV. With the cost of war gas going up and the negative impact of burning fossil fuels, it just makes sense to embrace the EV revolution and try to cool the planet. Yes, I know most of us get our electrons from coal plants. But more and more electrons are made with nuclear, solar and wind. It’s called progress. Bring back the EV credits. Gas in the US is subsidised and significantly less then other countries. Why not grow the EV revolution with tax credits and be less dependent on the Middle East ?

 

[MaintGrl]

Well, it sucks out West (PG&E). Last electricity bill I got I was paying $.51kw, and Gas is around $5.50g. Fortunately I have solar, so . . I'm paying off my solar panels with travel. But will never recoup my solar cost as I had 26kW of battery installed also.

 

[Theredshift]

Prior to buying my Lightning, I did some deep dives into operating costs. Commuting to work 4 days a week makes up most of my driving. Basically, it’s a combination of highway speed and “stop and go” rush hour driving, averaging 5-35 mph. Approx. 80 miles round trip, one way almost exclusively highway speeds 55-65 mph); return trip is around 70% stop and go.

My calculations, unless I’m completely off (and I wholeheartedly admit I suck at math), look like this:

Home charging averages around $0.11-13 per kWh. With 1.8-2 miles/kwh. So, somewhere around $0.05-6 cents per mile.

If gas is say $3.50/gallon, with somewhere around an avg of 22mp, that works out to give or take $0.16/mile for a gas vehicle.

Hoping someone way smarter than me at crunching numbers will be able to tell if I’m completely delusional….

Altogether, all of the reports I’ve read in Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Edmunds, and other trade mags consistently say operating costs of an EV average 40% of the cost of gas vehicles.

What are you all getting?

Im averaging 2.4 miles/kwh. It has made a major difference in driving conservatively with the GOM. See attached pic

 

[cptj777]

Electricity in Massachusetts is costly................. I like to compare with my former truck which is neck & neck raw cost per mile 20.9c vs 20.6c, but the price of diesel today is now $5.399/g not the former lifetime average of $3.141/g

That's really expensive, typically off-peak charging at home is as low as ~$0.05/kWh. To get that, you would need to see if your utility provider offers that and then sign up for their EV charging schedule.

 

[TaxmanHog]

That's really expensive, typically off-peak charging at home is as low as ~$0.05/kWh. To get that, you would need to see if your utility provider offers that and then sign up for their EV charging schedule.

No TOU programs for National Grid Massachusetts
Current energy cost is 35.78 cents a kWh as of most recent bill Feb/March

 

[cptj777]

No TOU programs for National Grid Massachusetts
Current energy cost is 35.78 cents a kWh as of most recent bill Feb/March

I don't live in MA but someone said they used this program. https://www.nationalgridus.com/electric-vehicle-hub/Programs/Massachusetts/Off-Peak-Charging-Program Hopefully that could help reduce some of the cost. 35.78 cents a kWh is definitely a lot

 

[CD4TNF]

Graphs, and savings tables can be calculated using the fuel economy and Alt fuels calculators.

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.jsp

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https://afdc.energy.gov/calc/#result


Here's comparing a Lightning to a hybrid.

Prices are for used XLT based on cars.com.

Cost of ownership graph. Cheaper is the blue line representing the Lightning.

Annual emissions

Same calculation for your numbers. Indiana $0.13/kWh, $3.50/gal
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Lightning still wins.

 

[Joe.....Montana]

Don't forget added maintenance costs of gas vehicles...oil changes and engine air filters right off the top.

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