American Vet

Those trying to sell us on buying electric vehicles often claim that drivers can save money by not having to buy gas, but is that really the case? In many regards, some analysts have their doubts.

As the average cost per gallon of gas has soared past $4.20, and with no end in sight, many of our leaders — including Joe Biden — are pushing EVs as a cost-effective replacement for gas-powered cars.

As Fox Business recently noted, a one-to-one comparison of the cost of charging an EV versus filling a regular auto with gas showed that EV charging appeared cheaper. But many other factors need to be included in the math to make a true analysis — factors that many EV advocates are desperate to ignore.

“According to the EPA, the national average for a kilowatt-hour of electricity is 13 cents, including at homes where most electric car owners charge their vehicles with 240-volt Level 2 chargers that typically take eight hours or more to fill them up,” Fox reported on Wednesday. “Many of these are also available in public settings like office and shopping center parking lots, where they are known as destination chargers.”

There are also a few facilities that offer what are known as “Level 3” charging stations, which can charge an EV in as fast as 20 minutes. Tesla, for instance, has rolled out Supercharger stations that can significantly cut down the charging time.

Meanwhile, costs per kilowatt-hour vary widely. For those using Level 2 charging stations in their homes — where gaining a full charge takes eight hours or longer — the costs are a relatively cheap 13 cents per kilowatt-hour. But costs jump when using public services. The fast-charge rates come closer to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour, though the electric charge is gained in minutes, not hours.

Fox noted that an electric Ford Mustang Mach-E would cost an owner $2,100 annually for 15,000 miles of driving and charging at a Level 3 station, compared to a mere $650 for the Level 2 home charging system.

In contrast, the Ford Escape S would cost $2,100 for similar driving with current gas rates, a cost that will increase as gas goes up.

This certainly seems like a savings, and it is a major selling point for Biden’s Secretary of T***sportation Pete Buttigieg.

“Clean t***sportation can bring significant cost savings for the American people, as well,” Buttigieg said. “Last month, we announced a $5 billion investment to build out a nationwide electric vehicle charging network, so that people from rural to suburban to urban communities can all benefit from the gas savings of driving an EV.”

But charging your EV comes with its own set of pricey problems. As noted above, costs are rising per kilowatt-hour when using public stations, and using a home charger offers the biggest savings. However, owners also have to shell out between $700 and $2,000 to install a Level 2 home charging unit, Carvana reported. This might tend to make the first year’s savings for not buying gasoline a wash.

Worse, if you want to install a Level 3 charger in your home, you’ll be hit with costs of up to $50,000 or more — including upgrading the electrical system in your house to power the thing.

Few people will be able to afford such a costly installation for super charging their EVs, meaning that the largest number of Americans who buy EVs will be stuck with systems that take half a day to charge their vehicles. This makes their EV of more limited use than a gas-powered car that users can jump in and use at will.

Furthermore, repair costs are higher for EVs than for gas-powered cars, Road Show News found. This is because the whole EV market is still so new that parts are more costly, and so are labor costs. Add in the fact that only a select few mechanics are even trained to repair EVs, and drivers will find the se******n of repair shops fewer and farther between, and the labor costs higher due to supply and demand. Presumably, this would even out in the coming years, but right now it is a costly concern.

Also, a major source of expense for EVs is battery pack replacement. Depending on the car, battery packs can last between 5 and 20 years, but the replacement costs might make keeping the car prohibitive. Some experts say that the average battery life is eight years or 100,000 miles, and depending on the model, battery packs cost between $5,000 and $20,000 to replace — not including labor.

This high cost is also a warning to anyone buying a used EV. After all, if you buy a 10-year-old EV that still has its original battery, you might be forced to fork out another $10,000 to replace a dead battery pack shortly after putting as much as $25,000 to purchase the used vehicle. This is a cost that few average Americans can afford.

Another issue is a geopolitical concern.

Many of the rare earth minerals — such as lithium — and the manufactured batteries and parts are made in China, and the costs for these materials are also skyrocketing.

Indeed, in December it was found that the cost of lithium had surged more than 250 percent over the year. Not only are these materials rising in expense, but we are enriching China in the process.

Electric vehicles do have their selling points, it is true. But they simply are not yet practical for every American. If one thing is sure, they are not a panacea, and consumers should really take the time to review their options when considering them.

https://www.westernjournal.com/even-gas-prices-surge-charging-electric-vehicle-can-still-way-expensive-gassing-car/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=huckabee&fbclid=IwAR2fg9AZrWzzAgwRTkiJ3ZhGSjgJ6n8QNQM4RSJDajHztp49liv6cBD-kjU

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Interesting read...

Thanks...

EVs are becoming more popular in China as well... Haven't heard anyone talk about saving money on them though...

tbutkovich

Not to mention the lost revenues from the gasoline taxes which are used for improvements to our roads and bridges and the capital investment needed for the modifications to the electrical power infrastructure.

The lost gasoline tax revenues will have to be made up somehow. Here’s a novel idea, let’s just add it to the consumer’s electric bill. A 25% increase across the board should handle it. Wait! Let’s throw in a few more wind turbines and solar panels and bump it that across the board fee up to 50%.

Let’s talk about the advantage of the reduction in carbon emissions which will benefit everyone but let’s not talk about the toxic environmental hazards created by the cobalt mines (Talk to the Shoshone Indians in Idaho about their past experience with the former mines) and the safe disposal of the old batteries when they need to be replaced.

Let’s have some serious discussions with horse face g***n e****y czar, John Kerry, about the real cost of switching from gas powered vehicles to EV’s. Let’s see how he comes up with answers to the really hard questions about the impact of future initiatives soon to become mandates.

The cost always falls on those who can least afford the “Biden-Carey Follies!”

American Vet

Good points

Milosia2 Loc: Cleveland Ohio

Why is the right always counting money ?
How much more expensive will it be
Not being able to breathe ?
Are you part of the belly up rotting in the sun with a full tank of gas , crowd ?
Expense is a problem used to control your thinking. The right suffers greatly from this.
The cost is relevant to nothing .
It’s the privatizers that keep carrying on about the cost . The next thing out of their mouth is that the government is unable to do this as efficiently as a private company.
FYI- they’ve already taken over 40% of your Medicare program. The Right is quite happy about this because they’ve been trying to k**l it since Roosevelt started it.
So, you better start saving your money for that . Because it never ends well.
When it comes down to breathing, you won’t be able to afford it.

American Vet

Seek professional counselling for your desperate cries for attention.

Milosia2 Loc: Cleveland Ohio

It was your desperate cries for attention that started this thread , No ?

Marty 2020 Loc: Banana Republic of Kalifornia

No! Just pointing out the follies of the left!

tbutkovich

Melosia,

If your really worried about breathing, form an envoy and go to China to protest the huge increase in construction of Chinese coal fired power plants which will increase their carbon emissions by a whopping 15%.

Your stand suggests we weaken our electrical infrastructure by catering to the g***n e****y advocates, the clueless like yourself, while China strengthens theirs.

If you don’t see the danger in the growing power of the Chinese and the declining power of the U.S. you’re a complete i***t. You’re worse than that, you are a clueless i***t.

Unless you understand the real issues, you need to take your voice elsewhere as your words, if taken seriously by woke readers, will render great harm to our nation.

Bottom Line:If we are to remain a power to be reckoned with agains our adversaries, we need to construct and fund less g***n e****y and dev**e more resources to f****l f**l power energy!

Marty 2020 Loc: Banana Republic of Kalifornia

I think you should be promoted to corporal.

fullspinzoo

Part of the 12 step program is admitting you are a c****e...and then we'll go from there.

FallenOak Loc: St George Utah

Sorry to burst your balloon but FDR had nothing to do with Medicare.

woodguru

Hey, you will never buy one so worry about something that means something to you

EmilyD

Helloooo....he just pointed out WHY not to buy one.....duh.

EmilyD

It's always YOUR desperate cries that you be handed everything on a silver platter. No matter how little you contribute to society, you should still be handed freebies that other people earned for you...did I get that right?