# Why Aren't We All Driving EVs? Let Me Count The Ways



## EVDL Archive (Jul 26, 2007)

Rui Rodrigues sees the barriers to electric vehicle adoption being more than just technical; some of the blame can be shared by industry inertia and competitive lobbying.

More...


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## PhantomPholly (Aug 20, 2008)

Price
Range
Price
Refueling Time
Price

Did I forget price?


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## dougingraham (Jul 26, 2011)

Actually I kind of thought we were all driving EV's here.


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## dragonsgate (May 19, 2012)

One thing I have noticed is people have a misconception of how much or actually how little it costs to charge an EV. In the comments section of internet articles about electric cars people seem to have the idea that it is expensive to charge an EV. One of the comments I often get when people look at my car is “boy I bet that really runs your electric bill up”.


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

Most reporters assume you do a full charge every day, so a Tesla costs $9 to charge, or $270/month. That's nearly double the average cost per person for gasoline!


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## Caps18 (Jun 8, 2008)

I did some math a few days ago about how much power my solar panels produce and how much it would offset in gasoline costs.

I made 7 kWh of power last Monday and the power company pays me 0.1383 cents per kWh. If you figure that my S10 would have gotten 15 mpg in the city but the EV one gets ~4 miles per kWh... 4 * 7 would equal 28 miles. Let's call it 30 because it was February and in March it will make a little more... So, it would be the equivalent of 2 gallons of gas. 2 gallons of gas cost (3.78 *2= $7.56). So that is $1.08 that my solar panels are saving me per kWh. The math looks a lot better using that number than the power company one. And when the price of gas goes up... It would cost (0.96 cents to buy that 7 kWh and go as far as you could go on 2 gallons of gas. That means that it is 0.48 cents per gallon (equivalent), and it won't be changing much since I make my own power). I think the EV crowd should make signs up showing the price of electricity compared to gas...

Why isn't everyone doing this? Ohio might not be the best this winter for Sunny days, but place like Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Nevada, Utah... it is very sunny there.


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

Wow...I didn't know the power company paid that much outside of Germany. What's the residential rate there?


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## PhantomPholly (Aug 20, 2008)

A good way to think about switching from gas to electric is to compare it to switching from incandescent lights to LEDs. Fuel costs are about 20%, and you get to feel good about using less.


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

Caps18 said:


> I made 7 kWh of power last Monday and the power company pays me 0.1383 cents per kWh.


0.1383 cents per kWh or $0.1383 per kWh?


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## dragonsgate (May 19, 2012)

There are all kinds of arguments about electric cars for and against real or imagined. The thing that keeps me in an EV is the feel. I just got back home from running my daily errands wishing I had someplace else I needed to go. While my car is not the biggest or baddest it still has enough zing to satisfy me. I quietly zip up and down the hills and through town never touching the gearshift or slipping a clutch. Well the fact that I am doing it at between two to three cents a mile might have some bearing. If I ever get an EV that rides and handles like the one I have now and gets 200+ miles on a charge and there are charge stations readily available I might just keep on driving and never come home.


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## dladd (Jun 1, 2011)

i don't really even think about my car anymore. I just drive it. It's perfectly suited to my 30 mile/day average. It costs less to charge per month than my stupid hot tub, and it's always full in the morning. Good deal. As to cost, I'm pretty sure my car is about the least expensive car in our school parking lot at drop-off. There are a bunch of BMW and Mercedes SUV's, and leather clad Minivans. My little $20k electric Saturn cost less than 1/2 of most of these cars. 

but you all know this, that's why you drive one too!


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## Ziggythewiz (May 16, 2010)

dladd said:


> My little $20k electric Saturn cost less than 1/2 of most of these cars.
> 
> but you all know this, that's why you drive one too!


I wouldn't be caught dead in a Saturn!

/jk


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## Woodsmith (Jun 5, 2008)

I guess some people are unable to fund the higher capital cost of an EV, either mainstream or converted.

It is a bit like knowing that buying a house is cheaper then renting but because of the high rents there is no money left to save for a deposit for the mortgage.


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## rochesterricer (Jan 5, 2011)

dragonsgate said:


> There are all kinds of arguments about electric cars for and against real or imagined. The thing that keeps me in an EV is the feel. I just got back home from running my daily errands wishing I had someplace else I needed to go. While my car is not the biggest or baddest it still has enough zing to satisfy me. I quietly zip up and down the hills and through town never touching the gearshift or slipping a clutch. Well the fact that I am doing it at between two to three cents a mile might have some bearing. If I ever get an EV that rides and handles like the one I have now and gets 200+ miles on a charge and there are charge stations readily available I might just keep on driving and never come home.


Just out of curiosity, what do you drive?


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

It depends where you are living but here in Oz only a few commercial EV's are available , and those are silly expensive, with no rebates either !
Im sure "fuel" costs are low, but but not as low for us ( $0.24 /kWhr,, and rising fast !).
Financially it is a non starter.
I dont see anyone costing in any other "associated" costs. .. IE:- battery replacement, depreciation, costs for that Solar system ? etc etc.


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## dragonsgate (May 19, 2012)

Rochesterricer, Look in the garage. My car is two pictures below yours on the first page. Karter2, I have never built a car with the idea that it is going to save me money or I am going to make a bundle off of it. EV’s are not much different in that respect though they can be less expensive to maintain. The immediate savings is the price of gas. To paraphrase Leno “If you feel like you are spending too much on building a car you are probably doing it right.”


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## dragonsgate (May 19, 2012)

OOPS! My dyslexia kicked in. I misread the name in the garage. My car is still on Page one second picture from bottom.


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## rochesterricer (Jan 5, 2011)

dragonsgate said:


> Rochesterricer, Look in the garage. My car is two pictures below yours on the first page. Karter2, I have never built a car with the idea that it is going to save me money or I am going to make a bundle off of it. EV’s are not much different in that respect though they can be less expensive to maintain. The immediate savings is the price of gas. To paraphrase Leno “If you feel like you are spending too much on building a car you are probably doing it right.”


Ah nice, thanks. I assumed user profiles on here linked to their garage, like other Vbulletin car forums I'm on, unless you didn't have any garage entries. It doesn't look like this forum has that feature though. Found your EValbum page as well. Good stuff


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## Karter2 (Nov 17, 2011)

dragonsgate said:


> ... The immediate savings is the price of gas.


 Yes , but down here, the immediate cost is the 50+% premium over the price of an equivalent ICE.
Hard to justify spending $15k extra in order to save $1k on fuel per year.
But i understand, its not all about the money,
.. however you cant join the game if you cannot afford the entry fees !


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## dragonsgate (May 19, 2012)

Karter2 said:


> however you cant join the game if you cannot afford the entry fees !


Yep sorry to say...
That’s pretty much true about every hobby unless you take up collecting pocket lent.
Many years ago I was at a speed shop in San Bernardino Ca. bitching about the price of a Gordini head I wanted to buy for my 70 R10 Renault. I guess I was making a lot of noise about it when someone said “You wantna play... you gotta pay!” So I bought the darn thing.


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