This week, we're looking at some surprising places and ways to cheaply charge your EV, plus all the other big news you need to know about clean machines now.
New data reveals the best — and worst — states to charge your EV
Unlike gas pricing, the cost of charging your EV varies hugely depending on where you charge. Charging at home isn't the same as fast-charging in public — and there are extra benefits for folks with solar panels. Thankfully, The Washington Post has done a deep dive on the real costs with some surprising results.
The good news: It's cheaper in every state to top off your EV battery than your gas tank. An average American driver doing 14,000 miles a year would save roughly $700 by driving an electric SUV. Electric trucks save closer to $1,000.
The bad news: The fastest chargers — Level 3 ones, like Tesla's Superchargers — even the playing field a bit, as they can cost almost as much as gasoline in some states. By state, the worst charging "deals" are in New Hampshire: an electric truck costs only $23 less and an SUV is $14 less than gas.
People are really missing the EV tax credits
The loss of the $7,500 tax credit for new-EV buyers is proving devastating to sales. But a new poll has managed to put a dollar amount on EV-defectors' loyalty.
For $5,000 off, six out of 10 people say they'd come back to EVs. Drop that to between $2,500 and $4,999, and just under a third (30%) would reconsider. Meanwhile, anything less than $2,500 would tempt only one in ten drivers.
Ford's CEO thinks hybrids are the future of EVs
Speaking in Detroit at a recent business summit, Ford head Jim Farley admitted, "Customers are not interested in a $75,000 electric vehicle," and that the end of the tax credit was going to hit EV sales hard.
Instead, Farley insisted that hybrids and the flexibility they offer will be the key to near-term success.
"Plug-ins, special hybrids," he said. "F-150 is now one-third hybrid … they can power your house for six days. We think hybrids, EV plug-ins, E-REVs — those kinds of electrification — America's going to fall in love with and already is in love with."
Tesla has unveiled new, affordable models — but they're not what you think
Spoiler alert: After all the pre-launch noise, Tesla's supposedly much cheaper models turned out to simply be stripped-down versions of the Model Y and Model 3. Their costs start at $40,000 and $37,000, respectively — a lot more than the previously hinted at "$25,000 Tesla."
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That's compared to $42,500 and $45,000 for the original versions, now dubbed "premium" models. So what's been taken out? Light bars, rear screens, and a few speakers. Range and acceleration are down, too, and the base price gets you one color option: gray. The worst news is that with the loss of the $7,500 federal tax credit, the basic models now cost more than the premium ones did a few weeks ago.
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