Sparky, The Electric Vehicle (EV)

Electric Vehicle Project: Driving Costs

UPDATE ON DRIVING COSTS July 2010

Below I presented what I thought might be the overall driving costs at the outset of the project.

Now that the batteries are near the end of their useful life we can dial in the actual fuel cost.

This shows that my fuel cost was about twice what I expected. What is the difference?

My best guess is the depth of discharge I encountered while travelling the hills in my area.

I was probably averaging a DOD of 65-70% each day (one would like to keep it under 50%).

I also did not charge while I was at work. I would drive to work (mostly downhill, 10 miles) and then drive home 8-10 hours later.

I also took a different route home, it was longer (12 miles) but less steep. If one was inclined they could do the physics and math.

In the end the fuel cost was the same as my driving my blazer, but I didn't have to replace my water pump like I did on the blazer, or change the oil...etc.

Just remember, your mileage may vary!!!

June 2007

So what does it cost to drive this vehicle? The answer is not much...it comes to about 12 cents per mile. Here's how I figured that:

There are two elements to this calculation. First I consider the cost of my batteries, then I consider the cost to charge them.

So am I saving anything (compared to an ICE)? Well, gas is now costing $3.25 and more around here. My Chevy Blazer gets about 15 mpg costing 21.67 cents per mile.
Right now I am saving about 10 cents a mile. That's $11.00/week, $572.00/year. If gas drops back to $2.00/ gal the fuel cost to drive the blazer is only 13.33 cents/mile.
So you might think well that's not enough to justify doing the conversion.

Here's the rest of the story...It comes in the maintenance of the vehicle. No more oil changes, no more coolant changes. No water pumps to replace, alternators, starter motors, or clogged fuel injectors. Oil and coolant leaks are things of the past. There are no gaskets to fail or exhaust systems to fall off. I could go on, but you get the idea.

The bottom line is that it is more than just the fuel cost. It is the overall cost of operating the vehicle. And I am not at the mercy of the oil industry.