[vtech]

I am a new Volt Gen2 owner since December and I wanted to start off by saying that I love my Volt! I decided to compare the cost of driving on electric vs. gas. This is the cost of electricity and fuel only, nothing for insurance, depreciation, etc. I live in Maryland where the cost of electricity is rather high. I suggest looking at your electric bill for the true cost. For me it is currently 13.6 ¢/kWh. I do not have variable time of day billing. The cost of gas since I bought my car has been about $2.25/gal.

To get the cost per mile is used these formulas:

Electric Cost per mile = kWh x Electric cost per kWh x 1.2 / Miles Electric

The electric cost per kWh was 13.6 ¢. 1.2 is the charging efficiency factor and the kWh is what is displayed after a drive on the Volt energy display in green. I measured the charging efficiency by using a Watt meter while charging my car on 110V at 12 amps. I divided the kWh used by the kWh value displayed in the car since the previous charge.

An alternative formula is:

Electric cost per mile = 33.7 x Electric cost per kWh / MPGe

MPGe is the value displayed in green on the Volt energy display. 33.7 is the MPGe conversion factor from the EPA’s formula. I prefer to use this 2nd formula.

For gas cost per mile the formula is simply:

Gas cost per mile = Gas cost per Gallon * 100 / MPG

I used $2.25 for the Gas cost per gallon. MPG is what is displayed after a drive on the Volt energy display in blue.

Since I bought the car my average cost for electric has been 4.7 ¢/mi. For gas it has been 6.8 ¢/mi with a combined average of 4.9 ¢/mi. I have minimal data for gas miles since I almost always use just electric. Most of my gas miles so far have been using max heat on the highway.

3.4 ¢/mi - my best day so far on a warm day with no highway miles
8.1 ¢/mi – worst day on a very cold day and a short trip with max heat

4 ¢/mi – typical on a cold day with only heated steering wheel and seats
6 ¢/mi – typical on a cold day with max heat

I set my Engine Assist Heat to Deferred and found that this was cheaper to run on electric only with the same heating comfort level. Just to compare, the Volt replaced my very efficient Passat diesel which got 44 MPG over its 2 year lifetime at an average cost of 5.5 ¢/mi for fuel. So the Volt is 10-20% cheaper than the Passat in winter. I am planning to run these numbers again in the summer and I expect it to be significantly better.

 

[jcanoe]

I live in MD and estimate my PEPCO energy cost at 15.5 cents per kwh. I find that trying to decipher all of the energy charges, fees and taxes on my PEPCO electric bill is futile. The largest component of my PEPCO energy cost is the charge for power generation ($/kwh) and next is the power distribution charge. These two charges are almost the same, so 7 cents per kwh is in reality more like 14 cents per kwh. Then there is a laundry list of tariffs, taxes and fees tacked on to the bill so that my final cost is between 15 and 16 cents per kwh. At least that is the way I see it.

 

[llninja]

The math worked out much better for me when cas was nearly $4 per gallon comparing the cost of driving the volt to the cost of driving a paid-for Deville that barely got 20 MPG. I still have very inexpensive electricity (8.9 cents per kWh) last I checked. What kills me is that I have 2 meters (one to a shed before I built the house on a different leg) so I get shellacked with $13.95 just to have a meter and use a few pennies of electicity during the summer to power the barn. in the winter time though, that bill climbs to $45 or so per month.

 

[Bacardi]

Why such a narrow view for fuel only? Owning/leasing a vehicle starts draining your bank account, might as well take in all factors...

 

[voganni]

Premium fuel here in Kettle Falls is up to $2.85/gal. Electricity is still $0 .08 kwh. Still WAY cheaper to drive electric here.

 

[Steve_P]

Remember not to drop off that $0.009 per gallon. Gas here is $2.009. I can charge at work for $1 per session. Charging 2 miles from home is free. Now if December would get here quick, I'd have something to charge. 😀

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Sisters Of Mercy]

I decided to compare the cost of driving on electric vs. gas. This is the cost of electricity and fuel only, nothing for insurance, depreciation, etc..

I purchased a Volt for financial reasons. I feel it is important to consider depreciation as well. A sign of a good value is how much of it's original cost it retains after four or five years. A vehicle still worth 50% of it's original cost after five years would be excellent. As many here will tell you, it's not uncommon to see Volts drop 50% in value after a little more than one year. All those miles running off the battery are great, but you had better hold onto your Volt for ten years to make the numbers work better for you. Wouldn't it be great if our batteries lasted for 300,000 miles? I think they will. I hope they will.

 

[llninja]

I purchased a Volt for financial reasons. I feel it is important to consider depreciation as well. A sign of a good value is how much of it's original cost it retains after four or five years. A vehicle still worth 50% of it's original cost after five years would be excellent. As many here will tell you, it's not uncommon to see Volts drop 50% in value after a little more than one year. All those miles running off the battery are great, but you had better hold onto your Volt for ten years to make the numbers work better for you. Wouldn't it be great if our batteries lasted for 300,000 miles? I think they will. I hope they will.

With my volt, I just assumed that as soon as I drove it off the lot, I got hit with 100% depreciation. I don't intend to ever sell it, but maybe give it away to family or a friend.

 

[El Dobro]

I like the ride.

 

[KenC]

There's a 20% charging efficiency factor? Is that what others have found?

 

[Maidenlocks]

note to self: do not move to MD! electricity in GA is about 0.06 cents per KwH.

 

[caronjeff]

Here in Michigan a charge is 13 cents a kw so let's say $1.40 for a full charge. Winter EV range about 26 miles. Premium fuel about $2.80 a gallon. Winter gas mileage, much of usage in ERDTT, maybe 30 mpg. All electric is still much cheaper. Now 4 years ago when premium fuel was topping $4 the savings were significant. I was calculating $2,000 a year saved vs. my 3 series BMW. When analyzing overall Volt benefits one has to recognize time and hassle saved by avoiding crowded gas stations, also the significant savings on brake repair. I had probably dumped $1,000 into the BMWs brakes in 85,000 miles before trading. Today the Volts brakes are like new with 89,000 on the odometer.

 

[Raymondjram]

With my volt, I just assumed that as soon as I drove it off the lot, I got hit with 100% depreciation. I don't intend to ever sell it, but maybe give it away to family or a friend.

That is how I tend to see my cars. I run them for a minimum of fifteen years, and my last two were over twenty years each. I sell them for a few hundred dollars (to make the transfer legal), and the buyers run them several more years. My cost per year of ownership is very low (less than $2,000). My wife had a leased Volvo because her job paid all the expenses, but after she quit, we cancelled the lease and returned the Volvo. It was a loss of money if we had a personal lease.

 

[Raymondjram]

Electricity versus gasoline must add the gas engine maintenance costs (oil and filters) and refueling visits to the use of gasoline. If a Volt owner only used electricity and never exceeded the EV range, his engine would do only the ERDTM routine and his cost for that will be pennies per year.

 

[calebh2002]

note to self: do not move to MD! electricity in GA is about 0.06 cents per KwH.

HA! I wish mine was that low. My winter rate is 0.12 and my summer is 0.18. I really dislike Cobb EMC, but unfortunately they along with Austell Gas are my only options. If they offered TOU rates, I would change my plan.

 

[Splitting Atoms]

That is how I tend to see my cars. I run them for a minimum of fifteen years, and my last two were over twenty years each. I sell them for a few hundred dollars (to make the transfer legal), and the buyers run them several more years. My cost per year of ownership is very low (less than $2,000). My wife had a leased Volvo because her job paid all the expenses, but after she quit, we cancelled the lease and returned the Volvo. It was a loss of money if we had a personal lease.

That's how I view things. All cars are worth next to nothing at 15-20 years, so it all equals out. If the car is reliable and cheap to run, you win out. In the past, this usually required a penalty in safety, refinement, etc. The Volt makes that not the case, so it's win-win!

 

[kentlucas]

Thanks, this is just what I have been looking for.

Our electricity cost here with PSE&G in NJ is 11.7 cents/KWH generation plus 4 cents delivery. Not cheap. I calculated our year over year total usage averaged over 11 years and since we got the Volt, it increased about 15%. That works out to less that $200 for the entire year of 2016, when we drove the Volt 7K miles.

Because we don't have a suitable site for solar, we also opt to pay an additional monthly charge for 100% renewable energy from Community Energy. This runs in the range of $7-10 per month and allows me to shut up the naysayers who always seem to come back with "but your electricity comes from coal and natural gas".

 

[hellsop]

With my volt, I just assumed that as soon as I drove it off the lot, I got hit with 100% depreciation. I don't intend to ever sell it, but maybe give it away to family or a friend.

The most I've ever sold a car for was about $500. The most I've ever gotten for a car was about $5000, and that was an insurance claim on a car that literally burned to a shell.

(That one had some fun conversations with the insurance people.

"When can you give us the keys?"
"Why do you need the keys?"
"So we can get into the car."
"There's no roof. It burned. There's no windows. They all shattered from the heat. The ignition lock is on the floor of the driver's side because the steering column burned off, and the door locks have probably warped enough that you can't even get a key in them, much less turn it."
"But what if you were to try to steal it back?"
"The seats are only frames, there's no gas in it because the tank exploded. It's NOT going anywhere." )

 

[llninja]

The most I've ever sold a car for was about $500. The most I've ever gotten for a car was about $5000, and that was an insurance claim on a car that literally burned to a shell.

(That one had some fun conversations with the insurance people.

"When can you give us the keys?"
"Why do you need the keys?"
"So we can get into the car."
"There's no roof. It burned. There's no windows. They all shattered from the heat. The ignition lock is on the floor of the driver's side because the steering column burned off, and the door locks have probably warped enough that you can't even get a key in them, much less turn it."
"But what if you were to try to steal it back?"
"The seats are only frames, there's no gas in it because the tank exploded. It's NOT going anywhere." )

Two weeks ago, I gave away my 1989 BMW 535i. It sat for about 10 years without being regularly driven, maybe once a year to blow the cobwebs out. it was time for it to go. Someone more needy than I has it now.

 

[Qinsp]

If you consider the EV power as a luxury, then it's bargain.

What is worth to wake up each morning with gas in your tank? The time saved alone pays for itself quicker than cost per mile for fuel.