A "Gallon of Electricity" Cost the Same As a Gallon of Gas

I currently pay $3.50 for a Gallon of Gas and $0.11 for a kWh.

The EPA says a Gallon of Gas has the energy of 33.7 kWh which I now call a "Gallon of Electricity."

$0.11/kWh x 33.7 kWh = $3.70 for a "Gallon of Electricity"

So the energy cost about the same. The difference is in the efficiency. Our little iCars get EPA 112 MPGe while the gas cars get between 15 to 50 EPA MPG. The EV is more efficient and goes several times farther on the same energy.

When we drive a gas car most of the gasoline's energy is lost right a way as heat. Electrical energy is more organized than heat energy. Sweet!

A gallon of unleaded gas costs $4.799 in Eastsound, Washington (on Orcas Island) so remember that your (dollars per) mileage will certainly vary depending on where you live.

Then again, they charge $2.81 per hour for charging at the publicly accessible stations so a full charge for an i-MiEV would cost $19.67 for a cost of $0.20 per mile. Far worse than the $0.09 per mile that the gas version of the Mitsubishi i would run on the local fuel price. You'd have to charge it at home to make it economical and only rely on public charging in an emergency.

As I was, ChargePoint's map has their price at $1.59/hr which puts the cost per mile at $0.11 and not $0.20

Still, more expensive than petrol per mile in the non-ev Mitsu i.

Some of us aren't yet ready for an electric car. I'd like to see what kind of fuel economy the i could achieve with a direct-injection turbo diesel of small enough displacement to keep power levels equivalent to the i-MIEV. I'd also like to see how such a car would sell. I'd love to have one, myself!

The first year (2006) of the gas version of the i in Japan had a 3 cylinder, 659 cc turbocharged 61 hp engine - It was replaced the next year with a non-turbo version which has 52 Hp. Not sure what they get for Mpg's . . . . probably mid-50's? Neither version has nearly the torque of our electric version, so I doubt they're a blast to drive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_i

Don

whiterg57 said:

I'd like to see what kind of fuel economy the i could achieve with a direct-injection turbo diesel of small enough displacement to keep power levels equivalent to the i-MIEV.

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The problem with the power comparison between a diesel and the i's electric motor is that a diesel produces 0 torque at 0 RPM whereas the i's electric motor produces its maximum torque at 0 RPM. So for the same feeling of power when starting from a stop, you'd need a larger diesel engine with some sort of transmission which would then have more power than necessary and would use more fuel equivalent at higher RPM's than the i's electric motor.

Then you'd still have to deal with oil and oil filter changes, air filter changes, intake and exhaust noise, diesel fuel stations, wasteful idling at stops, and urea injection systems and particulate traps to try to control nasty diesel emissions. Many of us are willing to pay more and adjust our driving habits to leave this more complicated world behind.

Great answer Art. The simplicity of the electric engine and its simple maintenance is definitely part of its beauty. Fourteen thousand miles before any inspection is needed - that works for me!

Another method of charging is using photovoltaics, which once you cover other electricity use, has no additional cost per kwh to use. Now that we have the i (and I drive an EV or bicycle already), we're almost fossil fuel free. Less than 10% of our electricity last year was provided by our electric utility, most of which is derived from coal. The rest came from our PV array.

Just bought our Mitsubishi i today - we recently found out about a state incentive and some personal issues finally parted for a moment to do it. Very excited .... .