Washington driver compares $5.35 gas to nighttime charging under $1 — the EV math gets hard to ignore

A simple Reddit post asking whether electric vehicles really lower ownership costs set off a flood of back-of-the-envelope calculations, and many of the replies came down strongly on the side of yes.

Commenters on the post said the case looked especially strong in Washington, where gas was around $5.35 a gallon, and some overnight electricity rates were near $0.08 per kilowatt-hour.

The math is not perfectly simple since EVs and gas cars vary on mileage, but it comes out to under $1 per gallon's worth of gas, assuming that's 30 miles of driving, against that $5.35. 

Taking the typical figure of 3.5 miles per kilowatt-hour would mean that an EV must use 8.5 kWh to reach the same 30 miles as a gas car that gets 30 miles per gallon. 

In these extremely cheap overnight off-peak prices of under $0.08/kWh and assuming some other electric-bill taxes and fees, that comes out to under $1 for the same distance that their $5.35-per-gallon gas would get you.

The average U.S. cost for electricity is just under $0.18 per kWh and the average cost for gas is $4.16 per gallon as of June 9 — leading to a more typical comparison of under $1.75 per "gallon of gas" for an EV vs. $4.16 for a gas car. But still, the more extreme case showed how the scales are tipping even further in some areas as gas prices rise, even without the use of solar panels. 

What happened?

The discussion started with a driver posing a direct question: "Is it really saving you money considering the gas price vs utility bill, insurance and registration? If so, what's the break even mileage?"

Replies focused on three main numbers: what owners pay to charge, how efficient their vehicles are, and which routine maintenance expenses they no longer have.

A repeated theme was Washington's hydro-powered electricity, which can make overnight charging particularly inexpensive.

Using the figures commenters shared, the per-mile energy cost stays low: a Chevy Bolt — one of the most energy-efficient cars on the market — getting 4.3 miles per kilowatt-hour at $0.08 per kilowatt-hour comes in at under a measly 2 cents a mile (or $0.60 per 30 miles, like a gallon of gas), while a larger Kia EV9 at about 2.7 miles per kilowatt-hour works out to roughly 3 cents per mile ($0.90 per "gallon of gas").

Against gasoline priced at $5.35 per gallon, that means even a gas vehicle getting 30 miles per gallon is spending much more per mile on fuel alone: more than $0.17 per mile.

Why does it matter?

It may not sound like much for a single road trip, but it adds up a lot across 10,000 miles over a year of driving even using nationwide average prices: The example Chevy Bolt would cost $419 for 10,000 miles at $0.18/kWh, whereas a non-hybrid Toyota Corolla getting 30 miles per gallon would cost $1,387 per 10,000 miles at $4.16 per gallon. 

In the extreme Washington pricing example, that would be $200 for the Bolt and $1,783 for the Corolla. 

People in the thread said the advantage goes beyond electricity and gas prices.

EVs do not require oil changes as they do not have engines — only electric motors — and their regenerative braking can make brake pads last far longer than they often do in gas-powered vehicles. Tires do wear faster from the weight, but there are fewer moving parts in an EV: typically just 20-25 against 200 to as many as 2,000 in a gas car. Much fewer parts to break down or cause problems.

And those who get solar panels on their own roof can charge their car with effectively free energy from the sun, even without a home battery, as most utilities credit you for solar power you don't use during the day and then let you pull from that overage overnight. 

There is also an environmental benefit even without solar. When a state's electricity supply comes heavily from hydro or other renewables, driving electric can reduce pollution while making use of a cleaner energy source already available on the grid. 

Either way, you've got no pollution coming out of the tailpipe affecting neighborhood air quality for kids, with gasoline exhaust among the leading causes of asthma. 

What are people saying?

One commenter wrote, "Hydroelectric from the Columbia is the key. Gas prices around $5.35. Nite time electric at $0.08. Detailed calculations probably aren't necessary. Everything points to electric."

Another added, "On top of all that, no stupidly expensive oil changes every 6k miles, brake pads every 30k miles, etc."

Drivers also shared their own figures.

One wrote, "I get 5.6 miles per kWh in my 2021 Hyundai Ioniq, but we also use the highest level of regenerative braking."

Another said, "The wife and I get 4.3 mi/kWh in our Chevy Bolt. Friggen love that car."

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