Cost of Operation Elec vs Gas

[dwf1]

I now have a few miles in - 489 and myfordmobile.com keeps interesting records. It records all of my driving and all of the time I am charging. (If you think Big Brother isn't listening and watching, you are delusional.) Then, MFM displays this in metrics. I am currently averaging 273 watts per mile.

It is common for groups to compare a gallon of gasoline against a kWH of electricity. The most common average is $3.50 per gallon of gas and $0.10 cents per kWH. To compare apples to apples I took my electic bill and added in all of the acutal costs of electricity. In the month of June I used 608 kWH in my home my total bill, including transmission charges, distribution energy charge, etc plus taxes was $94.38. If you devide this number by 608 kWH then my actual charge is $0.155 per kWh.

To determine watts you just devide .155 by 100 and come up with $0.000155 per watt. Multiply that times 273 watts per mile and I find out my cost per mile is $0.04.2 cents. I previously told everyone that my commute is 20,000 per year, I was driving a Toyota Avalon which averaged 25 miles per gallon I used 800 gallons annually. My cost for gasoline, using $3.50 per gallon, is $2800.00. My cost for using electricity will be $840.00. So, for me my real savings are $1960.00 per year.

To put this in real simple terms, every time I drive home from work, I have saved a $10.00 bill in my pocket!

[Charged Up]

15.5 cents per kwh, a little higher than average, any special plans for EVs there? Maybe time to go solar eh?

[billsblots]

Thanks for the info! I was wondering how we would refer or define power usage. I have seen it defined as both how many watts per mile, like you did, and I've seen people estimating how many miles per KWH. If the Focus automatically calculates how many watts per mile one uses, that certainly establishes an easy standard.

When I was 2 years out of high school I traveled to the western US with a former German exchange student at my school, we had a VW bug and he used liters per 100 km instead of mpg, so every gas stop we had to get out the pencil and do a bunch of conversions.

[dwf1]

"Abbreviation is WH, just like KWH without the K. We shouldn't begin confusing the measuments this early. Watts and kiloWatts are instanteous measurment and Watt-hours and kiloWatt-hours are the quantity used over time."

Thank you for keeping us accurate. I am not an electrician and have never quite understood the terms. But, we are entering a new realm and I do like to get it right. I think I did the math and thinking correctly.

Here is another question. I often read about people quoting cents per kilowatt hour. Are they including all of the expenses? If you look at my bill it states a rate for kilowatt hours, but when you factor in all the charges it is 50% higher for the kilowatts hours used.

[Charged Up]

Originally Posted by dwf1

"Abbreviation is WH, just like KWH without the K. We shouldn't begin confusing the measuments this early. Watts and kiloWatts are instanteous measurment and Watt-hours and kiloWatt-hours are the quantity used over time."

Thank you for keeping us accurate. I am not an electrician and have never quite understood the terms. But, we are entering a new realm and I do like to get it right. I think I did the math and thinking correctly.

Here is another question. I often read about people quoting cents per kilowatt hour. Are they including all of the expenses? If you look at my bill it states a rate for kilowatt hours, but when you factor in all the charges it is 50% higher for the kilowatts hours used.

This is a good point Wood. I know I have been guilty of using the quoted rate, but as you point out the actual rate can be much higer. Another factor is that often the rate is not the same throughout the year. In my state of Virginia we pay a higher rate during the hotter months.

[billsblots]

My bill in Chesterfield County, Virginia reads as follows.
Period April 5 - May 8, 2012
785 KWh
Total Charges $91.27
This equals $0.116 (11.6 cents) per KWh.

The Total Charge is broken down into these parts.
Distribution Service $24.82
Generation $33.15
Transmission $ 7.61
Fuel $25.82
State Consumption Tax $ 1.19
County Utility Tax $ 2.00
Review Credit - $ 3.71

The cost strictly for fuel alone is just $0.032 (3.2 cents) per KWh. Fuel plus Generation is $0.075 (7.5 cents) per KWh.

But if we're figuring pure and total cost of operation of electric vs gasoline you have to use the total 11.6 cents per KWh.

That seems high compared to what I anticipate my charging costs will be when I use almost exclusively off off peak hours. I think the last time I looked it was 3 cents per KWh 0000 - 0600 hours, a significant difference. Let me go check the Dominion Power site again, my memory is likely failing.

[billsblots]

Virginia Dominion Power offers the following to estimate charging cost of standard rate versus charging under their electric vehicle plans. This shows $ to charge each month based on 60 miles per day.

[billsblots]

Notice here as mentioned above by Charged Up, this shows the October to April winter season when general charging rates drop. However, if participating in the off peak EV charging program the rates are a low $26 in winter or summer. This winter graphic shows a lower cost for general, standard charging rate compared to the summer, above, but charging off peak on the EV plan is the same, summer or winter.

So, bottom line in Virginia, by participating in the EV charging plan and charging off off peak after midnight one can save significant amount of money. In the winter you will still save, but not as much, as the power company drops its standard rate during the winter.

By comparison, my average commute is 50 miles a day, 2 gallons a day, 10 gallons a week = $35 a week for gas, x 4 = $140 a month compared to $26 a month future EV operation costs.

[billsblots]

I see I used a different mileage per week. If we use the same 60 miles per day...

By comparison, my average commute is 60 miles a day, 12 gallons a week = $42 a week for gas, x 4 = $168 a month compared to $26 a month future EV operation costs.

[dwf1]

Bill, I certainly wish my state of RI would get out of the caves and come up with such a direct inducement to go EV.

I have long maintained the FFE is a perfect commuter car. For anyone driving 30+ miles, one way, it is a no brainer.