This is a repost from another of my threads, but I realized going electric wouldn't be cheaper per mile where I live due to the cost of electricity.
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Doing a bit of math, I realized that electricity may actually be more expensive per mile. With my 90 day average of about 80mpg, and gasoline at $2.20, I'm paying about 2.75 cents per mile.
The Nissan Leaf is EPA rated for ~30kwh/100miles. 1kwh costs about 17 cents here (24/7), which would make driving a Leaf ~5.1 cents per mile. Even if a Leaf drivetrain in my Insight was good for 33% extra range, and I got 50% more than that by driving technique alone (similar to what I'm getting in my Insight), which I think is being very generous, I'd still be at ~2.6 cents per mile on electricity. Add a 10% AC-DC conversion loss and we're at 2.8-2.9 cents per mile. Certainly I wouldn't have a 2.5 quart oil change every 10,000 miles, but the weight of the batteries would probably make me go through tires more quickly.
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