ChevySpark.jpg
An all-electric Chevy Spark at the Portland International Auto Show in January.
(Ross William Hamilton, The Oregonian)
The U.S. Department of Energy today released estimates of "eGallon" prices designed to help car buyers better understand the operating savings from driving electric vehicles.
The new
Web site includes prices for an eGallon nationally and by state compared to the price for a gallon of gasoline.
In Oregon, the electric car savings is $2.78 per gallon, the site estimates. The savings is a bit smaller nationally -- $2.51 -- because of Oregon's lower electricity costs and higher gasoline prices.
Some calculation details:
In Oregon, a gallon of gas runs $3.74, the site says. That gallon would move the typical car 28.2 miles, based on the combined mpg for the U.S. small and mid-size fleet.
To drive 28.2 miles, the 5 top selling all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles nationally -- the Chevy Volt is No. 1 -- would need 96 cents of electricity at Oregon's electricity prices. That's a $2.78 savings per gallon.
Prices for electric cars run higher.
, a Chevy Volt with a $42,780 sticker price sat side by side with a $26,690 Chevy Cruze, the Volt's all-gasoline counterpart.
Even after a federal tax credit of up to $7,500, it would take nearly a decade to pay back the extra purchase cost through fuel savings alone, based on annual fuel costs listed on the cars' stickers.
But the eGallon should give buyers a better sense of operating savings, the energy department says, with a metric that's comparable to the often dismaying gas price signs drivers see every day.
-- Scott Learn