So I Think I Want to Buy an Electric Vehicle…

NOTE from CUB Staff: As a consumer advocate organization we do mostly regulation and policy work, however more and more we find that electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure is one of the new frontiers for utility providers. To that end, we will be closely involved in the setting of regulation that will guide the investment in EV infrastructure that Oregon’s utilities can make based on the new Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Act passed last March. In the meantime, we thought we would look at what is involved in actually giving up the traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and switching over to some sort of EV. 

Since I’ve been thinking about a new car anyway…I volunteered to figure out whether or not changing to a vehicle powered by electricity will work for me, and share my findings with CUB’s readers. I presently drive the car of my teenage dreams, a Ford Mustang convertible, which I bought used, five years ago. As much as I love the car and the opportunity to drive with my face turned to the sun and the wind, it gets terrible gas mileage for making my daily round-trip commute of about 40 miles.

In researching electric vehicles I found out that I have three types to choose from:

1.  Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), which run exclusively from a battery charged by plugging them into an electric charger every 80–100 miles;

2.  Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), which runs its first 11–53 miles on a battery charged via a plug-in but has a gasoline engine for long distance backup; or

3.  Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), which runs on a combined battery and gasoline fueled engine that automatically switches back and forth according to the need.

Anecdotally, I have heard that many used EVs now on the market are coming as a result of being traded in at the end of a 3-year lease. I checked out two used BEVs and three used PHEVs in the Portland area that had Carfax reports available for free, and this “theory” proved true on these cars. This may be helpful in finding a well-cared for, relatively new, low-mileage vehicle.

As it turns out, deciding whether or not to buy an EV requires multiple decisions, not just one. If I want a car that reduces my use of carbon-based fuel, I need to: 1) Figure out if there is an EV type that will fit into my budget, 2) Research how far I can drive on a single charge and decide if it will work with my lifestyle, 3) Collect information that will allow me to choose between a regular 110V outlet or installing a charging station with 220V, and finally, 4) Decide if the best fit for me is one that includes a plug-in car or a non-plug-in Hybrid, the latter still being fueled substantially by gasoline.

Option 1: BEV
The cost of a new BEV starts at as little $23K and can run as high as almost $230K (and there is even a sports car that comes in at a cool $1 million.) All available cars, as far as I can tell, are still eligible for a full $7500 in Federal Tax Credit*. There are also quite a few nice, single-owner, low-mileage used cars available though there is no tax credit. BEVs are strictly electric, and any car under $50K has an 80–100 mile range. Chevy and Tesla both promise to put out reasonably priced cars with a 200-mile range sometime in 2017. Tesla says their Model 3 (which can be reserved on line for $1000) will start at $35K and the Chevy does not list a price for their new Bolt model.

I can fully charge an all-electric car in 12–13 hours by plugging in via a 110V socket in my garage. A second alternative is to install a Level Two charging station which will provide a 220V outlet and will charge my car in about four hours. However, this option will require that I buy the charging unit at $600—$1000 and have it installed by a licensed electrician. It may also require a building permit. By my electrician’s estimation, this will cost as little as $500, if I have 220V accesses in my garage. If such accesses aren’t in place and I need rewiring, the cost will be upwards of $2000, plus added cost if the rewiring involves digging trenches.

If I bought a fully electric car I could easily make my 40ish mile commute and then some. However, this choice would require another car when traveling more than 80ish miles, so I would probably want to keep my Mustang. I would therefore have to consider the challenges of having two cars: upkeep, insurance and parking. Another option would be to sell my Mustang and rent a small car when I am traveling long distances, though at this writing an economy car would cost me between $15—$30 a day plus various taxes depending on the time of year. With all of these considerations this option might not make sense for me.

Option 2: PHEV
New PHEVs can be bought at about the same cost as a BEV (on the high end, the Porsche Spyder Plug-in Hybrid sells for $929K) and the federal tax credit varies depending on the car with only four models in this category getting the full credit. I found that used PHEVs seemed to hold their value better than BEVs and are therefore a bit more expensive. Of the three big US sellers (though there are many others available in the US) only the Chevy Volt offers both the full $7500 credit and gives me enough electric range to complete my commute on electricity only. Depending on the model year, the Chevy Volt has 38–53 miles, the Ford Fusion Energi has 19 miles, and the Toyota Prius Plug-in has 11–22 miles. (Note: the Prius Plug-in was discontinued after 2015 and – though not yet available – is coming back in 2017 as the Prius Prime.)

When we combined gas/electric using the EPA’s new Mile Per Gallon Equivalent Rating (MPGe) the 2017 Volt offers 106 MPGe city /hwy combined, the new Ford Fusion comes in at 88 MPGe and though the previous Prius Plug-in was at 95 MPGe the new Prius Prime brags 120 MPGe.

All three cars require 12–13 hours to fully charge via a 110V outlet (though Toyota claims that the new Prius Prime will take only five hours.) However, the good thing about these cars is that if I run out of electric charge they immediately switch to gas. Another advantage is that because it allows me to do my everyday driving with electric, but gives me the flexibility of having the gas back-up for long-distance driving, I will only need one car. What’s more, since all my regular driving will be coming from a much cheaper 7–12 cents per kWh for charging, my fuel expense should be drastically reduced.

Option 3: HEV
Almost every car maker these days offers some kind of a non-plug in hybrid car; from $20K beginning MSP for a 2017 Toyota Prius C to a 2017Acura NSX that starts at $156K. New HEVs don’t qualify for a federal tax credit (because they are not “technically” an EV) and they seem to hold their value, making used HEVs a little higher priced than used PHEVs and BEVs.

A HEV runs on a combination of electric battery and gas-fueled engine that has several fuel saving features.** Consequently, a Prius brags 51 highway/48 city MPH in 2012 to 58/56 in 2017 depending on model. The Fusion Hybrid comes in at 41/37 in 2012 to 43/41 by 2017; a Chevy Malibu Hybrid (known earlier as the Malibu Eco) offers from 37/25 in 2013 to 48/45 in 2017; and oddly the Honda Accord Hybrid went down from 50/45 in 2014 to 49/47 in 2017.

The advantage is that I would never have to plug it in. In fact it does not appear that it would change my habits or my lifestyle at all. I could sell my Mustang and drive my HEV all the time: the only change would be a decrease in the amount of fuel I use (okay, and being able to put the ragtop down.)

In looking at my alternatives, I can pretty realistically say that I am not going to go for a BEV. I run up and down I5 visiting family/friends quite often and the cost and trouble of keeping two cars or renting a car every time I travel seems overwhelming. So, what I need to decide now is if I want a PHEV or a HEV. Stay tuned to Part II (which will come out in a couple of weeks) to find out what I learn as I look at a few different cars, do the numbers, and check in with my insurance agent. Then I will decide… do I want to buy an electric vehicle?

*This is a very informative article about EV tax credits. For updated information on which cars are eligible for tax credits, click here.

**For a great explanation of how hybrid cars actually work, check out this report from the Union of Concerned Scientists. (This article says that hybrids are not considered EVs but those who are interested in fuel economy figure any type of electric charging is better than none at all.) I also found this article from The Atlantic helpful, though a bit outdated.

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