The REAL Charging Cost per SDG&E and "Equivalent ICE mpg"

[electricfuture]

This has been interesting discussion. I have learned that my rate of $0.14 is an “all in rate” so charging my yet to be delivered car will cost about $4.50 per 100 miles of range.
So I can power the vehicle for 100 miles for the same costs as a cup of Starbucks coffee!

 

[electricfuture]

I have now driven my Leaf over 500 miles and compared to my Honda Civic Hybrid energy costs I am getting the equivalent of 100 MPG on average including a lot of highway speeds - this with gas hovering at $4 per gallon. Leaf has a new advirtising campaign that compares energy costs of driving an ICE to the Leaf as opposed to miles per gallon. This makes a lot more sense.

The Blink gives the milage, KWH and costs based on my electric rates, so it is easy to compare this to the mpg of a hybrid or full ICE by simply knowing the their mpg and the current costs of gasoline or diesel.

For my own driving habits it is telling me I charge 2 hours per day 7 days a week at $0.14 per KWH. Apparently folks in Seattle are only charged $0.07 per KWH by BPA any time day or night. This is not an experimental rate. So they can still have their cup of coffee and charged the car for I am paying!

 

[sdbonez]

...I am getting the equivalent of 100 MPH ...

I've only managed to see it go 96 MPH :roll:

 

[ttweed]

If you look at just the cost of electricity compared to the cost of gasoline right now, it is costing me 2 cents per mile to drive the Leaf. At $4/gallon for gas, that is the equivalent of 200 MPG.

TT

 

[electricfuture]

I was thinking 126 MPG. Just went over the 1000 mile mark. Total cost $15 at $0.14 per KWH according to the Blink which must be confirmed when I get the electric bill.

So my Civic Hybrid getting 34 MPG equivalent: 1000/34= 29.4 gal of gas current hovering around $4 means $117 worth of gas to get as far.

15/117=.13 .13X100= 126 MPG equivalent.

Of course the equivalent milage will get better as gas prices increase - which they will, and unlike the Civic the Leaf "engine" will maintain the same efficiency for a very long time.

 

[walterbays]

I finally got my first full month's SDG&E bill. I drove 582 miles* for 187 kWh and $17.25, including all taxes and fees. Compared to driving our gasoline car that's like buying gas at $0.72/gallon. I was experimenting with the charger and timers so I used "only" 93% at super off-peak rate. If I need a range boost during peak rates that's like buying gas at $2.53/gallon, so it still makes more sense to press the charge button than to fire up the gas burner if that's what it takes to reach a destination.

They read the meter again today so I should have another bill pretty soon. I asked the meter reader and he also had no clue why SDG&E puts in the EVSE meters "backwards." That is, the whole house main meter which is not billed as TOU, displays TOU data. But the EVSE submeter which is billed as TOU, does not display TOU data. Assuming that SDG&E's intent is to use TOU pricing to persuade people to use electricity more in super off-peak, it seems like they are working strongly against their own interests by withholding the crucial TOU data. Oh well, I guess Blink data is good enough.

*Note: I estimated miles driven during the billing period. I hadn't realized that CarWings not only understates kWh, it even understates miles driven. I need to check the odometer around meter reading dates.