Where’s the savings!!!!

[RickLightning]

Many of the people that say that EVs are more expensive on a trip either a) never took a trip and have no factual basis or b) didn't plan their trip to be as economical as possible, or c) don't do maths because it's hard

They often forget that the truck was 100% full at home, and that was at a reduced cost as compared to traveling.

When they're on a gas trip, they skip Shell and fill at Costco or BJs. With electric, they don't look at the costs. A Mach-E owner proudly posted yesterday that they paid near $1 per kWh at a Ford dealership. When asked why they went there, they had no answer...

Sign up for EA or Tesla, or both the morning of your trip, and then immediately downgrade, takes effect in 30 days. Payoff is easily on the 2nd charge with Tesla, on the first with EA.

When you plan your trip using tools like ABRP and PlugShare, you still need to research costs with apps like Tesla and EA. Similar to using GasBuddy with a gas vehicle. These tools ignore cost. EA is 64 cents before discount, Tesla is 52 cents, yet there is a Tesla 2 miles away that's 42 cents and it doesn't send you there. 10 cents x 100kW of energy is $10.00....

We aim to arrive home with 10% or less. Sometimes I roll in with 2 or 3%. Why pay more than I have to for electricity?

As to complaining about not ever paying for itself, these type of comments point to the lack of intelligence of mankind. I owned a 10 year old F-150 that had 50,000 miles on it, and looked brand new. I then spent $80,000 on an electric truck. Breakeven? Yeah, right. Of course had I spent $60,000 on a gas truck, that wouldn't have a breakeven either.

That still really depends on where you live. I can charge for less at level 2 chargers away from home. (Home charging is $0.34/kWh, and public charging can be as low as $0.28, and many are $0.30)
Welcome to Massachusetts. (But same holds in many New England states, California and Hawaii)
We belatedly found out that EV driving costs the same (or more) as ICE. So we're just saving on oil changes and other mechanical issues the Lightning won't have.

Yes. New England and parts of California are very expensive as compared to the rest of the country. People make blanket statements, but that isn't reality.

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[Mal106]

Thanks to all, this thread and this forum alone has been more informative than all the pre purchase YouTube and Ford study I did. Right now the big advantages that have become more important are maintenance and the frunk.

Thanks and please keep it coming.

 

[Joe Dablock]

Ok, I stand corrected, I pay $0.18/kilowatt, so my rate is quite a bit less than the rest of you guys. So I might be the exception.

 

[JvdMaat]

Ok, I stand corrected, I pay $0.18/kilowatt, so my rate is quite a bit less than the rest of you guys. So I might be the exception.

Definitely not the exception. Most of the US is an average of $0.15/kWh. We're the exception. It's just unfortunate we never get mentioned, so people in our areas (New England, California, Hawaii) that buy an EV thinking it's going to be so much less in fuel than an ICE get a sudden cold shower.
Try explaining that to the wife after you convinced her it's a great idea
I'd link the national prices... But Trump/DOGE happened: Consumer Price Index Publication Changes to be Implemented on February 12, 2025 : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
So the electrical cost per area is gone. I should have taken a screenshot.

 

[Mal106]

I pay the same $.18 here in SW VA.

 

[bananaslug79]

At this point I prefer an EV for more of the convenience and the drive; gas engines just can't compare anymore.

 

[jcm3]

As far as I can tell, this website doesn't work anymore. At least it didn't for me.

Just found this.. Drive-Electric Fuel Savings Calculator | Department of Energy
Which (when I plug in the MA prices for gasoline and electric) shows that an EV will save us -453.13 per year.

Helpful for others in expensive electric states to see what their actual cost of EV ownership will look like.

 

[JvdMaat]

As far as I can tell, this website doesn't work anymore. At least it didn't for me.

Yeah.. Looks like the website is still there, but the calculations aren't happening. Looks like DOGE got to it, just like the electricity cost website I posted earlier: https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/data/averageenergyprices_selectedareas_table.htm
You'll have to do the math yourself. If you need a hand, I think I laid it out earlier, or send me a message. You'll need to know the mpg for the ICE, gas cost, and miles per kWh and electricity cost.

 

[Carieth]

My 2022 Ford Bronco has a 20 Gal cap tank and gets 17 Mpg running Premium Fuel in Texas @ $3.50/gallon. Getting ~ 340 miles total costing me $70.00 would mean $0.2058 per mile cost. (This doesn't include oil changes)

My 2023 Ford Lighting Lariate has an ER capacity of 130 Kwhr at 2.3miles per kwhr totaling 300 miles range. To get 340 miles at 2.3 miles per kwhr that would be 147.8 kw. That at a cost of $0.10 kw would be $14.78 total to charge at home ($0.05 if i do off primary time) which is $0.04 per mile cost.

The savings is every month -I wanna say I did the math last year and between gas, oil changes it was $4,000 for the year.
The issue I have is 1. the cost of a EV Lariat and ICE Lariat is like $8,000-$12,000 more for the EV. 2. Texas (and many other states) are more expensive to renew registration for EV ($300 a year versus $60 for ICE)

However - with solar+battery I rarely spend on charging in most cases so the savings are probably even better.

All in all? Hey man, it's a toy that gets you from point a to point b. It's got a great team at Ford iterating on releases and features.

It makes sense; EV savings on fuel and maintenance add up fast, especially with solar energy. The upfront cost hurts, but long-term ROI looks solid.

 

[Joe Dablock]

The last thing I’m concerned about when traveling is the cost of a charge. For me it is always about the location, convenience, and speed. Less than 10 percent of my travel is fast charging, so what ever the cost, it has little affect on my total cost. I’ve come to favor Tesla over EA, but also there way more Tesla charger locations. With the Ford Pass account payment is seamless, regardless.

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