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Old 12-15-2018, 11:17 AM   #16 (permalink)
Snax
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Eugene, OR, USA
Posts: 375

Lord Vader - '15 BMW i3 REx
90 day: 35.06 mpg (US)
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Something that I was thinking about just now is the actual opportunity cost with ICE cars. It takes time just to fill the tank. And for the most part, one must be present every single time that is done. Obviously, charging on the go complicates this argument for EVs.

More often than not however, for the ICE cars, I have to devote extra time to just getting to a gas station plus the 5 minutes or so it takes to get the tank filled (sometimes even longer here in Oregon without self-serve fueling). It's difficult to put a number on it, but I'd guess that it robs me of at least 15 minutes of my time on average with no station within 2 miles of home and nothing convenient with traffic during my work commute. Taking the same 24MPG figure with the Miata, I'd need to use 62.5 gallons of gas to go 1500 miles, which would be 7 fills without running down to fumes at any point.

7 fills x 15 minutes = 1h 45m of time spent

If I were to apply the same standard of using most of the battery capacity (60 mi to be safe) of my i3 before charging, I'd have to do that 25 times. At home, in total, I'd say I spend about 30 seconds on both connecting and disconnecting the charger each time.

25 charges x 30 seconds = 12m 30s

1:45:00 - 12:30 = 1:32:30 difference.

Again, that's just for 1500 miles. Few people only travel that far in a year. Bump that up to 15,000 and it is a whopping 15 hours difference. Using a median personal income of $865 weekly for all full-time workers in 2017 per the US BLS, or $21.63/hr -

15hr x $21.63/hr = $324 per year lost to time spent fueling.

Other time costs with oil changes (at least two) bump that incrementally higher with another 30 minutes or so.
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2015 BMW i3 REx
2011 Ford Flex SEL AWD

Last edited by Snax; 12-15-2018 at 11:26 AM..
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