How to calculate yearly electric cost?

[pdaunno]

I'm considering a 2014 LEAF S w/charge package and am trying to estimate the savings of electric over gas. My current commuting car gets roughly 25 MPG combined city/hwy and where I live gas is ~$3.15/gallon right now. If I drive that vehicle 12K miles/yr, that comes to ~$1,512/yr in gas. I just checked our last electric bill and our cost was $0.103. What formula should I use to calculate the cost of electricity the cost for 12K miles/yr?

Thanks,
-Paul

 

[WetEV]

I'm considering a 2014 LEAF S w/charge package and am trying to estimate the savings of electric over gas. My current commuting car gets roughly 25 MPG combined city/hwy and where I live gas is ~$3.15/gallon right now. If I drive that vehicle 12K miles/yr, that comes to ~$1,512/yr in gas. I just checked our last electric bill and our cost was $0.103. What formula should I use to calculate the cost of electricity the cost for 12K miles/yr?

Thanks,
-Paul

Simplest comparison would be a gallon of gasoline is about equal to 7 to 10 kWh. Power at $0.103 per kWh would be roughly equal to gasoline at $0.70 to $1 per gallon. So divide by about 3 to 4, and roughly $375 to $500 would the be electric cost.

What is your commute like, and where are you?

Cold places will be at the higher cost end, as more power from the battery is used for heating/defrosting, and you are likely to preheat the car which adds to usage from the wall.

 

[pdaunno]

I live in the Atlanta metro area and my commute is ~28 miles each way. I have an attached garage at home and a covered parking deck at work. I'm sure I will also use the LEAF for additional around-town trips and of course the Mrs. will want to use it some as well. It will be a 3rd vehicle for us but I'm sure it will get a lot of use

 

[Graffi]

I suspect that you will get 4 m/kwh or more. At 4 m/kwh and elect at $0.103 your cost per mile of elect is $0.02575.

At 25 mpg and gas at $3.15 your cost per mile is $0.126. I think this cost is LOW.

Therefore your savings per mile is $0.0985, say 10 cents per mile. I think you can beat this.

At 12,000 miles per year your savings should be in the range of $1,200, or $100 per month.

Unless you drive a lot of freeway miles at 65 mph, your efficiency should be closer to 5 m/kwh.

 

[palmermd]

Like any any other car, your mileage may vary. Most people get about 4 miles per kWh, but this can swing wildly depending on your driving habits. At 4m/kWh you would consume 3000 kWh over 12k miles. From there you can calculate your cost based on your electric rates. Be sure to look at the cost of going into a higher tier if that is how your electric company prices electricity.

For example if you pay 11c / kWh then your yearly electric cost would be $330.

If you drive lots of freeway and jackrabbit starts and stops: 3m/kWh is 4000kWh --> $440
If you drive conservatively in the city: 5.5m/kWh is 2182kWh --> $240

 

[Boomer23]

Remember that charging at 240 V is only about 85% efficient, so 4 mi/kWh measured within the car is only about 3.4 mi/kWh measured by your wall utility power meter. So you'll use about 15% more power to charge per mile than your LEAF's dash display of mi/kWh shows you.

 

[WetEV]

Remember that charging at 240 V is only about 85% efficient, so 4 mi/kWh measured within the car is only about 3.4 mi/kWh measured by your wall utility power meter. So you'll use about 15% more power to charge per mile than your LEAF's dash display of mi/kWh shows you.

And more power is used if you preheat.

From the wall, I get over 4 miles/kWh in the summer, and over 3 miles/kWh in the winter.

 

[pdaunno]

Most of my commute, nearly 22 of the 28 miles is freeway although in Atlanta that means a lot of stop and go. We have HOV and HOT lanes that the LEAF can use at no cost beyond an annual tag cost that would help avoid the stop and go somewhat. For estimation purposes I will probably calculate at the 3-4 miles/kWh.

 

[Boomer23]

Most of my commute, nearly 22 of the 28 miles is freeway although in Atlanta that means a lot of stop and go. We have HOV and HOT lanes that the LEAF can use at no cost beyond an annual tag cost that would help avoid the stop and go somewhat. For estimation purposes I will probably calculate at the 3-4 miles/kWh.

Ironically, stop and go driving is BETTER for an EV's efficiency than is driving at highway speeds. I rarely use my HOV lane privilege because I usually need to stretch my range, and driving above 65 mph is usually too fast to make my planned distance. Stop and go traffic is usually a range EXTENDER for EVs, unless you are actively using a power hogging resistance heater like the one that comes in the LEAF S.

 

[RegGuheert]

I live in the Atlanta metro area and my commute is ~28 miles each way.

28 miles each way is 56 miles total, not including any side trips at lunchtime. While this is easily doable with a new LEAF in the summertime, it may be a bit tight after several years in cold weather.

If you are planning on leasing, then no significant concerns about range in your case.