PLUGIN VEHICLE COSTS

How much does it cost to charge a plugin vehicle?

This will vary depending on the vehicle and electricity rates. On average, it will be less than $1 to charge a plug-in hybrid and $2-4 for an all-electric car. Your energy bill will be less overall by driving with electricity. EVs are so efficient that the cost, per mile driven, is significantly less than a gasoline-powered car. For instance, a 2002 Toyota RAV4 will travel 100 miles on 4 gallons of gasoline. At $2.50/gallon, this is $10.00. A 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV will travel 100 miles on 30 kWh of electricity. At 10 cents per kWh, this is $3.00. Source: www.pluginamerica.org  

Do plugin vehicles cost less to maintain? 

Electric vehicles costs significantly less to maintain as they have one quarter of the moving parts, no air cleaners, oil filters, spark plugs, engine oil, fan belts, radiators, fuel filters, etc. Gas engines require maintenance and a whole bunch of nasty oily replacement parts that end up in landfills. Though plugin vehicles do contain a gasoline engine and the accompanying parts mentioned above, use of the electric motor lessens the wear and tear on the engine. Similarly, regenerative braking also reduces the wear and tear on breaks in comparison to traditional gasoline engines.