Quick, does an electric vehicle cost more than a gasoline vehicle? Look up automobile prices anywhere and you could give me a quick answer and say which which one costs more up front, but that’s only a small part of the story.
We have to add in refueling, maintenance, depreciation, environmental impact, public health, and is there anything else I forgot? Really, once you add in all these, I figure the odds are heavily in favor of the electric vehicle. On the other hand, in the real world, we’re more concerned about our own bank accounts.
When you take two vehicles, like the Nissan Juke and Nissan Leaf, a gasoline-powered vehicle and electric vehicle respectively, how do the costs run down?
The Nissan Juke is a small SUV with a gasoline engine and gets 29mpg, while the Nissan Leaf is an electric vehicle and gets 99mpge. The Juke starts at $22,876 and the Leaf starts at $22,330. Depending on where you live, how much you drive, and how much you pay for gasoline or electricity, the electric vehicle costs and gasoline vehicle costs could vary widely, so check out the comparisons. Summary: Right from the start, the Nissan Leaf is cheaper than the Nissan Juke, and the longer you stay away from the gas pump, the more money you’ll save on maintenance and refueling.
You can also check out this comparison between the Toyota RAV4 and RAV4 EV, which offers a slightly different story. The numbers don’t lie, and even if you have to pay more up front for the electric vehicle, you’ll save a lot of money on refueling and maintenance. Add to this the incalculable costs saved in environmental destruction and public health, and the electric vehicle is where it’s at.
