Is an electric car still cheaper to drive with gasoline at $2/gallon?
First, it's important to compare apples-to-apples. A fair comparison to my 2013 Tesla Model S Performance would be an Audi S8 in terms of price, performance and vehicle weight. Audi lists an EPA average of 20mpg for the 2015 S8.
Here's how they compare...
At $2.50/gallon (rock bottom price for premium gasoline required for the Audi S8), it would cost $125 to go 1,000 miles in the Audi.
I've driven my Tesla 30,000 miles, through two Vermont winters, and I used an average of 365 watt/hours of energy per mile. So for each 1,000 miles, I consumed 365kWh of energy. At the U.S. average electric rate of $0.12 per kWh, it cost $43.80 to go 1,000 miles in the Tesla.
When gasoline prices come back to their previous levels, and they will, the Tesla will be five times less expensive to fuel than the Audi.
First, it's important to compare apples-to-apples. A fair comparison to my 2013 Tesla Model S Performance would be an Audi S8 in terms of price, performance and vehicle weight. Audi lists an EPA average of 20mpg for the 2015 S8.
Here's how they compare...
At $2.50/gallon (rock bottom price for premium gasoline required for the Audi S8), it would cost $125 to go 1,000 miles in the Audi.
I've driven my Tesla 30,000 miles, through two Vermont winters, and I used an average of 365 watt/hours of energy per mile. So for each 1,000 miles, I consumed 365kWh of energy. At the U.S. average electric rate of $0.12 per kWh, it cost $43.80 to go 1,000 miles in the Tesla.
When gasoline prices come back to their previous levels, and they will, the Tesla will be five times less expensive to fuel than the Audi.