Study: EVs Could Save $1,200 on Fuel Per Year

Using an electric vehicle instead of a gasoline-powered car in the U.S. could save its operator an average $1,200 per year in fuel costs, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The group's State of Charge compares an EV that can be recharged at 11 cents per kilowatt-hour with a conventional car rated at 27 mpg and fueled with gasoline costing $3.50 per gallon.

The UCS estimates that average fuel costs over the lifetime (15 years or 166,000 miles) of a gasoline-powered vehicle would range from $18,000 for a car rated at 27 mpg to $9,800 for one rated at 50 mpg. Those costs compare with $5,200 for the electric power to operate an EV rated at the equivalent of 99 mpg (0.34 kWh/mile).

The group notes that the savings is wider in regions where electricity rates are lowest and if EVs are recharged at night when even cheaper rates apply.

The UCS assessment ignores the higher cost of an electric vehicle and does not consider overall operating expenses. Last week an analysis by TrueCar.com, which assumed a gasoline price of $3.85 per gallon, said an owner would need to drive a Nissan Leaf EV for nearly nine years to offset the purchase price ($36,100) compared to that of the comparable piston-powered Nissan Versa ($18,600).

The analysis also estimates pollution levels from electrical generating plants used to recharge EVs. Those numbers depend upon the proportion of power made by coal-fired plants compared with facilities burning cleaner fuels.

The report says there are no areas in the U.S. where operating an EV would produce more global warming emissions than a conventional car rated at 31 mpg.

The UCS says half the American population lives in areas mainly along the East and West Coasts where EVs would generate fewer greenhouse emissions than hybrids or piston-powered cars rated at 50 mpg. The group says another 37% of the population lives in regions where EVs would produce emissions on par with emissions from gasoline vehicles rated between 41 mpg and 50 mpg.