When you purchase an electric car, costs are generally not limited to the purchase price of the vehicle itself. While electric cars are certainly cheaper to operate than gas vehicles, gasoline offers much better efficiency. Though there are other costs to be considered. This article will address typical costs associated with electric and gasoline vehicles.
Electric Versus Gasoline - The Initial Costs
Electric cars have decreased in price considerably over the last 10 to 15 years. However, some electric cars still remain very expensive. Today electric cars can be purchased in the $10-$15,000 price range for very basic entry models and go all the way up to over $110,000 for some of the most advanced models. This is similar to many vehicles that use gasoline engines as well. The similarities and costs seem to stop at the initial purchase price.
Continued Operation Costs
With a gasoline-operated vehicle, buying gas in order to drive is a never-ending process. With the ever-increasing cost of gasoline and oil, operating a gasoline vehicle can tend to be very expensive. While there are some types of smaller gasoline vehicles that get much better gas mileage than larger SUVs or pickup trucks, even the most efficient gasoline models will generally require a substantial investment every month.
On the other hand, electric vehicles do not require gasoline to operate and use standard electricity plug-ins to charge their batteries. In fact, some electric car manufacturers claim that their vehicles require as little as $.01 - $.02 a mile to operate. Compare this to an average minimum cost of about $.08 - $.10 per mile for even the most fuel-efficient gasoline engine vehicles, and you can quickly see how electric cars can offer a lot of savings for daily commutes and short range driving.
Other Considerations
While electric cars are certainly more efficient and less expensive to operate, and prices have now dropped to levels that rival some many popular gasoline engine vehicles, there are certain things you should consider that may not be able to be gauged in terms of cost or value.
For example, you will not always be able to simply jump into an electric vehicle and take off. This is because electric vehicles use rechargeable batteries that can take considerable time to recharge. In fact one of the major complaints against the election vehicles is the lengthy charging time that is required. For many electric cars, it can take between 8 to 12 hours to fully recharge an empty battery cell.
Furthermore, electric vehicles are severely limited in the ranges they can travel. Typical electric cars can only maintain a charge and be driven for distances between 60 and 150 miles. Even the most expensive models tend to top out at a range of about 200 miles. Contrast this with the standard gasoline engine vehicle, and you can see how many people would consider a gasoline-operated car or truck a better choice regardless of fuel costs.
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