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Writer's pictureEnvoy Tech

Is it cheaper to charge an electric car than buy gas?


Gas prices are surging and people are looking for more eco-friendly mobility options. This is the right time to rethink mobility. But which fuel is really more cost effective?


In March 2022, gas prices topped an average of over $6 with many pumps near $7 for the first time in Los Angeles. Drivers are now more than ever second-guessing their 6 and 8 cylinder vehicles. While this word may be unfamiliar to the EV industry, it may be worth noting that, “Most cars are powered by a 4 or 6 cylinder engine, while most trucks have a 6 or 8 cylinder. The more cylinders in an engine, the more combustion that occurs, creating more movement to turn the crankshaft and power to move the car. However, more cylinders also require more gasoline to make the combustion necessary to drive the car and thus are not as efficient. This means that when you buy a 4 cylinder car, you are sacrificing power in order to increase efficiency."- Eagle Ridge GM


We did a deep comparison between the cost of fueling a 4, 6, and 8 cylinder vehicle, in comparison to charging up an electric vehicle. We will use gas at $5.99 a gallon for this comparison, although it varies slightly higher depending on your location. The gas data was pulled from The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.


Based on the official U.S. government source for fuel economy information provided above, we were able to calculate that fueling a 2022 Honda Civic, 2022 Toyota Camry, and a 2021 Land Cruiser in April 2022 would cost you about $74, $95, $147 respectively.




We compared the second most popular vehicle in California, the economical Honda Civic, to a popular and economical electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf. Using this Fuel and Fuel Economy calculator, charging a Nissan leaf with a battery capacity of 62 kWh at a somewhat higher than average electricity cost of $0.25 per kWh would cost $15.50 to charge from an empty battery to a fully charged battery. That $15.50 sounds much more cost effective than $74 to fill up a Honda Civic at a gas station. If we want to compare the cost per mile then we calculate that a Honda Civic costs $74 to fuel divided by 434 miles for a full range, then this equals to about $0.17 per mile. With a Nissan Leaf, $15.50 to fully charge divided by a range of 226 miles equals about $0.06 per mile.



We compared a popular sedan in the United States, the Toyota Camry, to an electric sedan the Tesla Model S. Using the Fuel and Fuel Economy calculator, charging a Tesla Model S with a battery capacity of 100 kWh at a somewhat higher than average electricity cost of $0.25 per kWh would cost $25.00 to charge up from an empty battery to a fully charged battery. The $25 is way more cost conscious than $94 to fill up a 6-cylinder Toyota Camry at a gas station. If we want to compare the cost per mile then we calculate that a Toyota Camry costs $94 to fuel divided by 411 miles for a full range, then this equals to about $0.22 per mile. With a Tesla Model S, $25.00 to fully charge divided by a range of 405 miles equals about $0.06 per mile.




Lastly, we compared an SUV model, Land Cruiser, to the top-selling EV nationally, a Tesla Model X SUV. Using the same Fuel and Fuel Economy calculator, charging a Tesla Model X with a battery capacity of 100 kWh at a somewhat higher than average electricity cost of $0.25 per kWh would cost $25.00 to charge up from an empty battery to a fully charged battery. The $25 is much more economical than $147 to fill up an 8-cylinder Land Cruiser at a gas station. If we want to compare the cost per mile then we calculate that a Land Cruiser costs $147 to fuel up divided by 344 miles for a full range, then this equals to about $0.42 per mile. With a Tesla Model X, $25.00 to fully charge divided by a range of 348 miles equals about $0.07 per mile.




The difference between fueling an internal combustion engine vehicle and charging an electric vehicle is noticeably different when you compare the larger sized models. The small sedan ICE vehicles are fuel efficient, but are still not as economical as charging an electric vehicle.


At Envoy Technologies, we only provide all electric vehicles onsite as an exclusive amenity to apartment complexes, offices, and hotels. These vehicles are washed and maintained regularly, include insurance, and charging is completely free onsite. There are plenty of charge stations located in public areas like shopping malls and grocery stores that offer free EV charging to their patrons.


If Envoy is not offered as an amenity at your property already, please feel free to nominate your property and we will schedule a meeting to discuss how to add Envoy electric cars.


To find out more about the range of vehicles offered in our fleet, check out our Fleet page


Follow us on social media to find the latest updates about shared electric cars and Envoy Technologies partner properties.





Sources and Works Cited:

The difference between 4 cylinder, V6 & V8 engines. Eagle Ridge GM. (2021, December 16).



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