This is the #1 reason why I
This is the #1 reason why I drive in EV. Gas prices will go up, it is only a matter of time. When you look at the total cost of ownership and compare that to an average car an EV is 10s of thousands of dollars less over 9.2 years, the average someone keeps a car. Plus EVs are smooth, quiet and comfortable. Nissan Leafs and Chevy Volts are available at dealerships today. Don't listen to people who immediatly diss them, they have never test driven one. Just based on the averages here is what the numbers look like:
Average vehicle in the US gets 23.9 MPG as of May 2012. Average cost of a new vehicle is $30,303, average person keeps a new car 9.2 years, traveling an average of 13,476 miles. At the end of this 9.2 years this average car would have 123,979 miles. Average cost of gasoline right now is $3.54, @ 23.9 MPG it would take 5,187 gallons of gas at a cost of $18,363. That assumes that the cost of gas does not go up. The cost of gas has doubled in the last 10 years so it is not unreasonable to assume it will double again in the next 10 years. Assuming that, the cost could be as high as $5.31/gallon average across those 9.2 years = $27,542. Oil change every 5,000 miles * $40 = $1000, filters, belts, tensioner, new plugs X 2, transmission oil changes, for just maintenance, no counting anything major breaking, another $2000. So we are somewhere between $21,363 and $30,542, just in fuel costs and maintenance + the cost of the car itself $30,303 = $51,666 - $60,845 . Leaf over that same timespan, $34,200 - $7500 = $26,700. 3.7 miles/Kwh * 123,979 * $0.15/kwh = $5026 in electricity. No oil changes, filters,plugs, coil packs and other stuff. Total cost after 9.2 years and 123,979 miles = $26,700 + $5026 = $31,726 a savings of between $19,940 and up to $29,119. That is best case scenario, a perfectly reliable gas car with no major mechanical issues between 0 and 123,929 miles. This does not count the stuff that is common between an EV and a normal car like tires, car washes, wiper fluid. It also gets better for the EV that the deprecation at least initially is far less. If you take that into account, the average new car looses 22% of it's value the first year, $6060 in deprecation year one. The deprecation on on the average car in the first year is more then the electricity to power a leaf for 126,929 miles.