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Electric vehicle charging is more expensive than filling up a gas tank

In 2022, recharging a mid-priced EV at commercial stations was $3 more than the cost of filling up a combustion engine vehicle.

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Published by
Alejandro Baños

Joe Biden is determined that half of all cars on U.S. roads be electric by 2030. This goal seems to be neglecting the price of energy, which is making EVs more expensive to maintain and use than gasoline-powered vehicles.

An analysis by Anderson Economic Group (AEG) showed that electricity costs are actually higher than gasoline. He added that this is the first time in the last 18 months that this has been the case:

In the fourth quarter of 2022, drivers of typical mid-priced ICE (internal combustion engine) cars paid about $11.29 to refuel their vehicles for 100 miles of driving. That cost was about $0.31 cheaper than the amount paid by drivers of mid-priced EVs, who charge primarily at home, and more than $3 less than the cost borne by drivers of comparable EVs who charge commercially.

This isn't the case just for mid-priced EVs. For luxury models, the cost of electric fuel has an even greater difference compared to the gas-powered equivalent. Owners of luxury EVs paid an average of $19.96 per 100 miles, while drivers of combustion engine cars paid an average of $12.40.

Same problem seen in Great Britain

This is not the first time electric cars have been reported to be more expensive, whether due to maintenance, driving, or the outright cost (the average price of an EV in 2021 was $56,000). Bill Cinnamon, an energy analyst, claimed in October that Americans would pay more to recharge electric vehicles at public stations or at work, and, as has been observed, it came true:

If we trade gas stations for utility-based EV charging during the day, our costs to drive the car and fuel up those cars is going to cost even more than gas at $3.50 a gallon.

This is not only true in the United States. In Great Britain, a new analysis by the British Automobile Association showed that charging electric cars is already more expensive than filling up with gasoline. Specifically, it refers to long-distance travel, where EVs will have a cost premium of about $12 over traditional fuel vehicles per full charge.

Biden's utopian plan

The Biden administration's claim that half of the U.S. automobile fleet will be electric by 2030 does not end there. It wants to move toward a total ban on gasoline-powered cars by 2035, as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an interview. Gavin Newsom, governor of California, intends to take the same action.

To get EVs on U.S. roads to be the majority, Biden is providing billions in subsidies for citizens to buy such cars, as well as subsidizing states with billions to expand their charging networks. Buttigieg himself argues that "the United States was supposed to lead the electric vehicle revolution."

The president's obsession with the electric model has led the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to announce that it will use EVs for law enforcement operations.

Majority rejects EVs

A survey conducted by the consulting firm Rasmussen Reports showed that a majority rejects EVs. More than half of the adults surveyed (54%) oppose these vehicles and, consequently, Biden's plan. In addition, 18% are unsure whether they are truly effective. More opposition to electric cars came from several states, such as Maine, Illinois, New Mexico, Arizona and Virginia.

In December, Toyota's former president, Akio Toyoda, warned against an all-electric fleet:

People involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority. That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option. But they think it’s the trend so they can’t speak out loudly.

These comments ended up costing him his job at the head one of the world's auto giants.

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