Gas, Electric, or Hybrid: True Costs and Savings
The national average price for gasoline in the continental United States reached $5 in mid-June. People who spend multiple hours in their cars daily were flummoxed.
No one was likely to get an increase in salary to match the increase in gas prices, so most people were forced to refigure their transportation budgets accordingly.
Meanwhile, those consumers who have already purchased electric cars are enjoying the fact that they are not screaming at fuel pumps.
Electric vehicle (EV) car owners do have to contend with the price of electricity, which varies by state. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects a 4.8 percent increase in electricity pricing for the summer of 2022 over that of 2021.
Electric car owners have other concerns as well, including the high price of paying off their cars, concern over the cost of an eventual battery replacement, and how and where to “fuel up’’ on long trips.
Then there are the hybrid owners. Hybrid cars operate on both gas and electric power. Although hybrid owners don’t need to fill their tanks on a weekly basis, they have their own headaches.
Individual drivers will have personal reasons for choosing to drive a gas-powered car versus an EV or a hybrid. This article offers alternative reasons for those readers who are on the fence.
Let’s look at each choice, and examine the positives and negatives of the three types of standard family vehicles.
Cars Powered by Gasoline
We have been driving gasoline-powered cars for over a century. When we buy gas-powered cars, we know what we are getting into. Cars that operate on gasoline require frequent stops at the gas station for fuel and regular but less frequent stops at the dealer or repair shop for maintenance.
Pros
- Cars powered by gasoline are cheaper to purchase initially.
- Gasoline-powered vehicles have higher top speeds (for whatever that is worth).
Cons
- The price of gasoline keeps going up.
- If you are environmentally concerned, cars powered by gasoline produce more pollutants than the alternatives.
Cars Powered by Electricity
Electric cars are all the rage among young drivers, for a variety of reasons. But, the reason for the popularity of electric cars is balanced by the cost owners pay, in real money terms.
Pros
- Electric cars are more environmentally friendly because they produce fewer emissions.
- Charging an electric car is less expensive than filling up a gasoline-powered car.
- Electric cars make less noise, and they reach high speeds faster than gasoline-powered cars (for what that’s worth).
- There are federal tax credits available for the purchase of some electric vehicles.
Cons
- The initial cost is high. The average price difference for similarly equipped cars is more than $10,000 between gas and electric vehicles.
- Concerns over charging electric cars on long drives are not likely to be solved soon.
- You can charge your electric vehicle with a standard outlet, but it takes a while to get a full charge. A home charging station is an option, but that equipment is likely to cost about $2,000.
- While EV cars reach high speeds faster than gasoline-powered cars, they do not maintain the higher speed as long as gas-powered cars do.
Hybrid Cars
So you think you want to split the difference and get a hybrid vehicle? Hybrids offer the reliability of available gasoline when needed and the knowledge that for long trips, you are operating on electricity rather than emissions-heavy gasoline.
There are three types of hybrid vehicles: mild, full, and plug-in. They are different in the way the electric and gas power operate the vehicle, but they are popular for the same reasons: they reduce gasoline emissions and cost.
Pros
- Hybrid vehicles produce fewer emissions than gas-powered vehicles, but more than EVs.
- Mild and full hybrids do not need to be plugged in to recharge the battery; the internal combustion engine recharges the battery, as does any braking that is applied.
Cons
- Replacing the electric battery is expensive, although it needs to be replaced much less frequently than a gasoline engine battery (ICE cars need a new battery on average every seven years).
- Like electric vehicles, hybrids are generally not power vehicles, although there are hybrids that are better suited for towing campers or trailers.
Overall Cost Comparisons
There are many estimates on the cost of owning a gas vs. electric vehicle. But those estimates apply only to average use. If you drive your car more or less frequently than the average driver, your cost estimates will differ. If you tend to drive faster than other drivers, that will also affect your estimated costs.
Fuel Costs
In 2020, Consumer Reports estimated that EV drivers spend about 60 percent less each year on fuel costs compared to gas-powered car owners (pdf). In line with this figure, the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found in 2018 that the average annual cost for fueling an EV car was $485 compared to $1,117 to fuel a gas-powered vehicle (pdf). However, the cost of gas-powered vehicles has obviously climbed due to recent increases in gas at the pump.
Battery and Maintenance
Two additional factors could affect these estimates: battery and maintenance.
Battery replacement may be the biggest factor in a comparison of gas versus EV costs. An EV battery can cost at least $5,000 to replace, whereas a gas-powered car battery averages $150, depending on the size of the battery required. But, today’s EV battery runs for approximately eight years or 100,000 miles before needing to be replaced. A gas-powered car battery is estimated to last four years, based on the chemical components of the battery, not the number of miles driven.
A 2020 study by Consumer Reports found that maintenance costs for EVs run about 50 percent lower than maintenance costs for gas-powered vehicles. This is largely because EVs are less complex than gas-powered vehicles, with fewer moving parts.
Upfront Cost
Despite the cost savings from gas, battery, and maintenance, the upfront cost of an electric vehicle may be the biggest consideration. As of May 2022, the average price for a new electric vehicle was over $65,000, according to a report from Kelley Blue Book, versus the industry average of about $46,000.
The Final Word
The White House wants 50 percent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030. Currently, less than 3 percent of cars on the road are electric, according to Kelley Blue Book. However, it’s likely that many of us will switch to electric or hybrid eventually. For most of us, when we make that change will be determined largely by the economics of car ownership.
See more here: theepochtimes
Header image: Aldeca studio
Editor’s note: The Automobile Association in the UK used to state on their website the average car battery should last about seven years. Now it says three years. The battery in my car was replaced when I bought it five years ago, and it still works as normal.
Please Donate Below To Support Our Ongoing Work To Defend The Scientific Method
PRINCIPIA SCIENTIFIC INTERNATIONAL, legally registered in the UK as a company 
incorporated for charitable purposes. Head Office: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX.
Trackback from your site.
VOWG
| #
The fossil fuel inputs to build electric cars are greater than the inputs for gas powered vehicles. There is no “upside” environmentally with an electric vehicle.
Reply
Roame
| #
I agree, there is no upside with an electric vehicle. Like other articles I’ve read the author glosses over the downsides of ownership. Time to recharge on a household outlet, range, cost of batteries prohibits long term ownership. And the batteries are probably the most environmentally disastrous part of the vehicle. I do not believe most people have a clue about the potential of heavy metal pollution that comes along with disposal of lithium batteries. Along with the capacity of the US power grid to accommodate large numbers of electric vehicles being charged every evening.
There was a proposal to create battery systems that were recharged by pumping out the electrolyte and replacing with freshly charged electrolyte. The discharged electrolyte would be recharged at the filling station. I haven’t heard any more of this idea. I suspect it was not a advantageous to Chinese interests in lithium.
Reply
Jacque L Millard
| #
Where is the electricity to power an electric car coming from. I would guess that it has to come from a power plant that burns either coal or natural gas. There isn’t enough power from the green energy system to keep the lights on much less power up electric vehicles. Another scam to put the screws to regular people and let the elite do whatever they want, they really don’t care about climate just their own pocketbooks and power
Reply
Tom
| #
EV con: more pollution is produced building batteries for them then from gas vehicles. Who is going to recycle all those dead 1,000 pound EV batteries? The cost of a new EV battery…nearing $20K and likely to go much higher as lithium becomes pricier and more scarce. Are they going to build and power millions of new EVs and batteries using a “green” power grid? Guess again.
Reply
Left Coast
| #
You missed the FACT that EVs have a Carbon Footprint = to a similar sized ICV after you have driven it for 60,000 Miles . . . when it is Brand NEW sitting in the Showroom.
The Toxic materials in the batteries leaves behind an Environmental mess on the planet . . . ever check out where they mine & refine Rare Earth Metals in China? Makes the Alberta Oil Sands look like a National Park.
Then after 8 to 10 years a new Tesla Battery could cost you $17 large USD.
Then theres the FACT that there is no existing program to Recycle the Mega Tonnes of Toxic material from these EVs that is already starting to accumulate.
My 08 Mustang I bought new, have driven for 14 years & am just passing 60,000 miles still has a smaller Carbon Footprint than a New EV.
Reply
Nick from Newtown
| #
Met the owner of a generator company today. Primary business is for backup generators at home. Said everyones workin at home now, need backups. Said you prob didnt realize this but even in CT last week it was soo hot we had brownouts. Too much ac, not enough electricity. Said he gets calls immediately. Said do you realize we’re already tapped out, we already have black n browouts around the country n we’re shutting down power plants without building new. And the gov is pushing elec cars. They want elec cars everywhere but arent investing in the elec infrastructure to support their green agenda. Said at this rate its all gonna crash. You build the infrastructure first, not the cars. Valid point. Lastly he said he brought portable diesel generators to a car show last week. They were showing off the elec cars but there he was charging them all w diesel generators. Said you just have to laugh at the hypocracy.
Reply
VOWG
| #
We used to treat people for that level of insanity.
Reply