# Cost to use an electric car

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-use-an-electric-car/459067>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 6, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-use-an-electric-car/459067 "2008-08-06T19:11:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-use-an-electric-car/459067/1 "2008-08-06T19:11:24Z")

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Speaking in very round numbers, let’s say my gasoline-powered vehicle gets 25 mpg, and the gas costs $4/gallon. That makes it cost $16 to drive 100 miles.

Now let’s say my electric car can go 100 miles on a full charge. How much electricity does it take to charge the car, and how much does that electricity cost?

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-use-an-electric-car/459067/2 "2008-08-06T19:55:14Z")

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You have to tell us something about the capacity of the batteries in your electric car, and the cost of electricity in your location. It will probably come out looking pretty cheap, but given current technologies, you REALLY have to figure in the depreciation of the batteries, which have a limited lifetime, and aren’t cheap.

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**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-use-an-electric-car/459067/3 "2008-08-06T20:22:34Z")

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This Wikipedia article is a good place to start:

> **[Electric car](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car)**
>
> An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is a passenger automobile that is propelled by a variety of electric traction motors, using only energy stored in on-board batteries. Compared to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quieter, more responsive, have superior energy conversion efficiency and no exhaust emissions and lower overall vehicle emissions (however the power plant supplying the electricity might generate its own emissions). The term "electric ca

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**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-to-use-an-electric-car/459067/4 "2008-08-06T22:40:34Z")

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sqweels - Thanks!