Imagine paying 84 cents per gallon for your commute, compared to today's statewide average of $3.80 in Idaho for a gallon of gas. 84 cents per gasoline gallon equivalent is how much the U.S. Department of Energy figures it costs to recharge an electric car in Idaho. The agency's assistant secretary David Danielson announced an online cost comparison calculator Tuesday for what he calls the "e-Gallon."
"Consumers can see gasoline prices posted at the corner gas station, but are left in the dark on the cost of fueling an electric vehicle," Danielson says. "The eGallon will provide more clarity to consumers on how much it costs to operate a vehicle and how much they might save on fuel by choosing an electric vehicle."
Danielson says he hopes the "eGallon" metric is easier to relate to than trying to express electric vehicle performance in terms of miles per gallon traveled. The new numbers provided by the Energy Department are averages based on the efficiency of the top five selling plug-in electric cars and the average statewide price of electricity.
Web extras:
U.S. Department of Energy eGallon calculator:
http://energy.gov/articles/egallon-how-much-cheaper-it-drive-electricity
Previous coverage: Low cost leases electrify plug-in car sales on West Coast (6/5/13):
http://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/post/low-cost-leases-electrify-plug-car-sales-west-coast
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