What are the costs of electric driving? This is not an easy question to answer, as various factors influence the costs such as the energy price (price per Kilowatt Hour), maintenance, purchase price, insurance and road tax. In general, there do not seem to be any convincing indications to opt for electric driving from a cost perspective. One of the advantages, however, is the lower cost of energy per kilometer compared to petrol, diesel and gas, for example. This article mainly discusses energy consumption and the resulting costs.
Index
- Charging stations
- How much energy does electric driving cost?
- Comparison with gasoline
- Consideration
Charging stations
Charging stations are like petrol engine filling stations. In 2014 there are about 9,000 charging points in the Netherlands to which an electric car can be connected. In addition, it is possible to charge the car at home with a so-called home connection. The costs for charging consist of the number of kWh (kilowatt hours) required to replenish consumption. In addition, there are costs for the infrastructure, these will be limited if a home connection is used.
How much energy does electric driving cost?
An average electric car, depending on the type and method of use. An average electric car consumes between 10 and 20 kWh per hundred kilometers. The costs in 2013/2014 per kWh at home are on average 0.23 euros.
Number of km / year | 6kWh / 100km (Renault Twizy) | 10kWh / 100km (Renault Zoe) | 15kWh / 100km (BMW i3) | 20kWh / 100km Tesla Model S | Petrol car with consumption 1 liter / 20km |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10,000 | 138 ?? | 230 ?? | 345 ?? | 460 ?? | 860 ?? |
20,000 | 276 ?? | 460 ?? | 690 ?? | 920 ?? | 1720 ?? |
50,000 | 690 ?? | 1150 ?? | 1725 ?? | 2300 ?? | 4300 ?? |
* Assuming an average kWh price of 0.23 euros and petrol price of 1.72 euros / liter (Average national recommended price 17-11-2014)
For charging via a charging station, a price for membership and a different price per kWh is often charged. There are so-called fast chargers, which have the ability to charge certain electric cars on DC voltage. There are other costs for this.
Comparison with gasoline
Compared to a petrol engine with a consumption of 1 liter to cover 20 kilometers, driving electrically is much cheaper. In addition, it may be beneficial that the price of electricity is generally more stable, because there are different types of sources for it (such as wind, sun, coal and nuclear energy).
However, there are also a number of disadvantages that have an unfavorable effect on driving an electric car. These include:
- High depreciation costs because the battery has a limited lifespan. As a result, the value of the car decreases faster in the event of a sale. Of course this is highly dependent on the make and quality of the car.
- The purchase value: Although prices are getting closer together, electric cars are currently even higher in price compared to a car with a gasoline engine of the same class.
- A possible home connection must be purchased if you want to charge the car at home. The costs for this are around 1000 euros.
Consideration
In 2014 there was talk of promoting electric driving by the government, this is done by exempting electric cars from additional tax, motor vehicle tax and BPM. The government will probably miss a source of income from excise duties on petrol. There is a chance that this missed income will somehow end up with the car driver in the future.
There are also a number of clear advantages that are not directly related to costs, including the low noise produced by the car and no direct damage to the environment. The very rapid technological development of the electric car also plays a role. It is expected that this will improve significantly in the future in terms of efficiency and range.