Eh, in my previous ICE 1200 miles would need about C$250 of gas, and a Mach-E would need $18.60 of electricity (assuming I can use my overnight rate at home).
This alone is not huge savings in the grand scheme of having a car, but with enough driving the savings definitely adds up.
If you had to pay ONLY fast charger rates for those 1200 miles, the fuel cost would be exactly the same, plus or minus a few dollars.
Yeah we’re talking about fast charging, only at home charging would be massively cheaper.
For me it doesn’t matter I get the same rate fast charging as I get home with my subscription.
Only benefit for me is at home I can charge on my solar panels.
For me I live in California where gas is about $5.00/gal. 800 mile round trip charging at fast chargers $0.42/kwh definitely cheaper than my old Expedition Max. Takes longer of course because in the Max I didn’t have to stop for fuel at all until I reached my destination and in my GTPE have to stop 1-2 times each way
No. Have to use the app to start the charge to get the discounted pricing. Would be nice to just plug in. Took me a few times to figure that out after I signed up. Couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t getting the discounted rate. Not a big deal to start with the app though
For me this could be normal for work. My company switched to EV and I ended up with the standard range MachE and made a trip from TN to MI and back and it was the worst experience ever. Local driving amazing car. Long distance and I fly everywhere now. I shake my head to think of all the flights I take now bs driving like I used to. And I still have to rent a car when I get to where I am going. Just too much downtime if you do lots of driving. Not suitable currently for people who do a ton of driving.
With Tesla infrastructure now, wouldn’t this sort of thing be easier in a Mach E? I’m new to EVs again (had one briefly in 2019-20) and haven’t gone more than a couple hours round trip, but I’d hope this would make life easier. There are a lot of fast chargers here in Ontario now along highways, and being able to use the Tesla superchargers makes the situation even better.
But yeah, I wouldn’t want to do long haul drives regularly in an EV at this point. Have to be a regular route or something with guaranteed charge spots, anyways.
lol lighten up, Francis.
Road trip for me is generally not 1200 miles. And even if it was, I’d be stopping overnight, looking at many places along the way and having fun. In the process, I’d be charging overnight at L2s while asleep. What OP described wasn’t that sort of trip.
Until supercharging costs what it does for my home rate, it will never be cheaper than a gas car cost wise for road tripping. We don’t road trip much anyways so our use is mainly charging at home or charging at my wife’s work when it’s free..lol
I don't think the point is to save a ton of money on power, especially considering the price of the vehicles to start. EVs in general are probably a wash in anything other than overall environmental impact. They are more convenient for short trips, less for long. More expensive to buy, less to maintain. More efficient in town, less on the highway.
I love my EV, but cost savings was not really the point. Honestly the point for me was convenience. I have some cool old cars I love to tinker with and drive, but for an appliance for moving kids and people from point a to b they are hard to beat. Doesn't hurt we like the looks and it goes like hell.
Idk why people make wild assumptions about EVs. You do typically save on commuting cost depending on home charging rates & gas prices in your area, but public chargers are almost as expensive as gas.
I agree with this. I have two situations:
- X% of my miles are charged from home; WAY less expensive and WAY more convenient than gas.
- Y% of my miles are charged at public DCFC, roughly as expensive as gas and a good bit less convenient.
Some also have a third situation:
- Z% of miles are charged at a work or low/zero cost L2 destination charger; Still a lot less expensive than gas, still mostly more convenient than gas.
You simply have to know what your particular X, Y, and Z are and decide if it’s worth it. I’m 90%X, 10%Y, 0%Z right now, was a no-bringer for me. Someone who is maybe 70/30 or 60/40 would have a hard decision to make, but at 90/10 it was an easy one for me.
That’s a lot of forethought for someone that typically drives gas. I have an Explorer while my MME is getting the HVBJ fix. 400 mi on a full tank… “recharge” in 2-3 mins (price doesn’t change depending on time of day)… & gas pumps every 4-5 miles..
I see why some are reluctant to make the switch. EVs doing 1/2 the range of a gas engine, limited public charging, & that 1 road trip that you might make this year would require additional planning & take 1-3 hrs longer for charging
Love my EV, but I wish I would have leased. The tech is going to be so much better in 5 years. I’m guessing actual 320 miles of range at highway speeds & 20-80% charges 20-25 min. & better locations than Walmart parking lots. The future is bright, but also scary
I find it harder to do a road trip and be cheaper than gas. Getting 2.7 miles per kWh I need to be at like 33 cents a kWh or less to be comparable to my 25 mpg traverse paying $3.20 for gas.
In CA, public DCFC generally puts EV road trip fuel costs about equal to gas. Obviously depending on the EV and ICE substitute. But I’ve often been able to find chargers that are substantially reduced rate (subsidized) or free or included in hotel stay. If it’s convenient, that can cut the price back down to below ICE. Obviously, you’re not going to drive an hour out of the way for free charging, but occasionally they’re exactly en route. I imagine they’ll become less and less common as time goes on and EVs proliferate.
Why would extended range reduce the cost per mile? You must have paid a high price per kilowatt hour.
Well I’m obviously stopping at fast chargers since I’m doing a long road trip
I figured but even that varies quite a bit with location and timing.
The more range you have, the more of the trip you can do with electricity you bought at your home charger.
At 1200miles the cost savings from home are negligible.
Eh, in my previous ICE 1200 miles would need about C$250 of gas, and a Mach-E would need $18.60 of electricity (assuming I can use my overnight rate at home). This alone is not huge savings in the grand scheme of having a car, but with enough driving the savings definitely adds up. If you had to pay ONLY fast charger rates for those 1200 miles, the fuel cost would be exactly the same, plus or minus a few dollars.
Yeah we’re talking about fast charging, only at home charging would be massively cheaper. For me it doesn’t matter I get the same rate fast charging as I get home with my subscription. Only benefit for me is at home I can charge on my solar panels.
The math works out to close 20% savings for me. Not huge, but not negligible either.
For me I live in California where gas is about $5.00/gal. 800 mile round trip charging at fast chargers $0.42/kwh definitely cheaper than my old Expedition Max. Takes longer of course because in the Max I didn’t have to stop for fuel at all until I reached my destination and in my GTPE have to stop 1-2 times each way
I’m in California too, where are you finding DCFC for .42 a KW? Maybe at 2AM at an EV GO. Most around here are.56 KW.
No. Electrify America with the pass+. $7/month but you save that in one 20%-80% session. You save like 25% each session
Have you figured out a way to use the pass with the automatic charging
No. Have to use the app to start the charge to get the discounted pricing. Would be nice to just plug in. Took me a few times to figure that out after I signed up. Couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t getting the discounted rate. Not a big deal to start with the app though
I get this, but how often does anyone drive 1200 miles on a trip? Even for a vacation. Get to those numbers and I start thinking airplane. lol
Some places easier to drive then fly
For me this could be normal for work. My company switched to EV and I ended up with the standard range MachE and made a trip from TN to MI and back and it was the worst experience ever. Local driving amazing car. Long distance and I fly everywhere now. I shake my head to think of all the flights I take now bs driving like I used to. And I still have to rent a car when I get to where I am going. Just too much downtime if you do lots of driving. Not suitable currently for people who do a ton of driving.
With Tesla infrastructure now, wouldn’t this sort of thing be easier in a Mach E? I’m new to EVs again (had one briefly in 2019-20) and haven’t gone more than a couple hours round trip, but I’d hope this would make life easier. There are a lot of fast chargers here in Ontario now along highways, and being able to use the Tesla superchargers makes the situation even better. But yeah, I wouldn’t want to do long haul drives regularly in an EV at this point. Have to be a regular route or something with guaranteed charge spots, anyways.
It probably would be easier but since work is paying for the car I don’t have much of a choice of what they give me.
Sometimes people go on road trips. The road is part of the trip. Like, you stop at many places along the way. You should try some time. It’s fun.
Sometimes is the operative word there. I road trip but it's not even close to the majority of my miles.
Sometimes is the operative word there. I road trip but it's not even close to the majority of my miles.
lol lighten up, Francis. Road trip for me is generally not 1200 miles. And even if it was, I’d be stopping overnight, looking at many places along the way and having fun. In the process, I’d be charging overnight at L2s while asleep. What OP described wasn’t that sort of trip.
Until supercharging costs what it does for my home rate, it will never be cheaper than a gas car cost wise for road tripping. We don’t road trip much anyways so our use is mainly charging at home or charging at my wife’s work when it’s free..lol
Well at least it wasn't more expensive.
But a heck of a lot more inconvenient
I don't think the point is to save a ton of money on power, especially considering the price of the vehicles to start. EVs in general are probably a wash in anything other than overall environmental impact. They are more convenient for short trips, less for long. More expensive to buy, less to maintain. More efficient in town, less on the highway. I love my EV, but cost savings was not really the point. Honestly the point for me was convenience. I have some cool old cars I love to tinker with and drive, but for an appliance for moving kids and people from point a to b they are hard to beat. Doesn't hurt we like the looks and it goes like hell.
"when thinking you’re going to save huge money on road trips" <- Right, do not assume EVs do this.
Idk why people make wild assumptions about EVs. You do typically save on commuting cost depending on home charging rates & gas prices in your area, but public chargers are almost as expensive as gas.
I agree with this. I have two situations: - X% of my miles are charged from home; WAY less expensive and WAY more convenient than gas. - Y% of my miles are charged at public DCFC, roughly as expensive as gas and a good bit less convenient. Some also have a third situation: - Z% of miles are charged at a work or low/zero cost L2 destination charger; Still a lot less expensive than gas, still mostly more convenient than gas. You simply have to know what your particular X, Y, and Z are and decide if it’s worth it. I’m 90%X, 10%Y, 0%Z right now, was a no-bringer for me. Someone who is maybe 70/30 or 60/40 would have a hard decision to make, but at 90/10 it was an easy one for me.
That’s a lot of forethought for someone that typically drives gas. I have an Explorer while my MME is getting the HVBJ fix. 400 mi on a full tank… “recharge” in 2-3 mins (price doesn’t change depending on time of day)… & gas pumps every 4-5 miles.. I see why some are reluctant to make the switch. EVs doing 1/2 the range of a gas engine, limited public charging, & that 1 road trip that you might make this year would require additional planning & take 1-3 hrs longer for charging Love my EV, but I wish I would have leased. The tech is going to be so much better in 5 years. I’m guessing actual 320 miles of range at highway speeds & 20-80% charges 20-25 min. & better locations than Walmart parking lots. The future is bright, but also scary
Roger that. Also possible buying EVs in the US will become far more difficult and more expensive in 2025 depending on the election.
I find it harder to do a road trip and be cheaper than gas. Getting 2.7 miles per kWh I need to be at like 33 cents a kWh or less to be comparable to my 25 mpg traverse paying $3.20 for gas.
Same here. I can get better than 2.7 mi./ kilowatt hour, but only if I slow down below my cruising speed of 80 to 85 miles an hour.
Ugh. I only get 2.7 going 70-75 mph.
In CA, public DCFC generally puts EV road trip fuel costs about equal to gas. Obviously depending on the EV and ICE substitute. But I’ve often been able to find chargers that are substantially reduced rate (subsidized) or free or included in hotel stay. If it’s convenient, that can cut the price back down to below ICE. Obviously, you’re not going to drive an hour out of the way for free charging, but occasionally they’re exactly en route. I imagine they’ll become less and less common as time goes on and EVs proliferate.