A few things I've learned shopping for and now owning an EV

User: kazuokev@hotmail.com

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Action: 3544 - Buy or Lease an Electric Vehicle/Hybrid

Having driven a fully electric vehicle for about a year now and having put a lot of research and thought into the purchase before that), here are a few thoughts I have:

1) EVs are far more energy efficient than gas cars.  We are all familiar with the MPG figure that is displayed on a car's window sticker.  Here are the MPG figures for some common cars: 2024 Toyota Prius (front-wheel drive model), at 57 MPG; 2024 Ford F-150 (6-cylinder turbo), 20 MPG;  2024 Subaru Outback (4-cylinder), 28 MPG.   Here are the equivalent EPA figures from some common EVs: 2024 Tesla Model 3 (long range all-wheel drive), 130 MPGe; 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning, 68 MPGe; 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 all-wheel drive), 99 MPGe.   

2) What is MPGe?  Fully electric vehicles don't use gasoline, so its energy is not directly related to gallons of gas.  But a gallon of gas is known to have 33.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy, which allows a mathematical conversion to "miles per gallon equivalent" which then allows a useful comparison between an EV and a non-EV.  If you're curious, the EPA starts with a different figure, kilowatt-hours (kWh) per 100 miles which then can be translated into MPGe. For example, the Tesla Model 3 is rated at 26 kWh per 100 miles; divide 33.7 kWh by 26 miles and then multiply by 100 = 130 MPGe. 

3) Although Massachusetts electricity rates are among the highest in the country, the overall cost to fuel an EV is likely to be less than a comparably equipped gas vehicle.  Taking the above figures, the Tesla Model 3 which in all-wheel drive form puts out nearly 400 horsepower is still almost 2.3 times more efficient than a front-wheel drive Prius.  So even if electricity is expensive compared to other regions, the inherent efficiency of the electric drive train can more than offset high utility prices.

4) Electric vehicles' sticker prices are higher than similarly-equipped gas cars, but right now many dealers and manufacturers are offering large discounts on in-stock EVs.  I've used the website www.theevfinder.com to comparison shop all dealers in New England selling a specific model.  Sorting by the features you want, you can quickly identify which dealers have your exact vehicle and how many such vehicles are in stock.  For instance, there are still 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5s on dealer lots with some dealers advertising over $10,000 of dealer discounts.  Dealers are also offering some aggresive lease deals if that's your preferred route.   Also note that the $7500 federal tax credit applies to only a limited set of qualifying vehicles; however, dealers can apply that $7500 as part of the lease, resulting in lease deals for about $300 per month in total cost.