DCFC station cost

[RickLightning]

I used to have range anxiety. Then it became "will the damn thing work" anxiety. Now, I have cost anxiety.
If I can't make the round trip on a single charge from home, I drive ICE. Gasoline is a lot cheaper than DCFC.

yep! especially when our lightnings are getting around 2kw/m. Charging at home (Arkansas) I pay only 11 cents/kwh. compared to the 28 mpg I was getting on my chevy avalanche it amounts to 1/4th the cost. big savings. DC fast charging in Arkansas run 40-60 cents per kwh making it way more expensive than gasoline.

Balderdash!

You are either math-challenged or don't know gas prices outside your township.

The national average gas price right now is $3.667 per gallon.

My 2013 F-150, which I had for many years, and took on many trips, including in December to Florida, got at best 17.5 mpg on the highway driving at 75mph.

With gas at $3.67/g, a 2,500 mile trip would cost $681.20.

My truck gets 1.8 miles per kWh on the highway. Therefore, I would use 1,389kWh on that same trip. That means it would have to cost 49 cents on average to be the same cost.

That DOES not take into account leaving your home with a full tank of lower cost electricity. Nor does it take into account charging at a hotel for free, assuming you actually try to do that.

I posted my 5,300 mile trip from MI to CA and back in February/March. I spent $660.27 on that trip, versus my truck at $31.5 and 18 miles (I was being generous) would have been $933.80... 29% of my charging was FREE. https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/trip-from-se-michigan-to-california-and-back.18767/

I just took a trip to Vermont and back, 1,754 miles. Only 1 charge was free at a hotel. I spent $324.24. Compared to my truck (at 17mpg and $3.25 gas), which would have been $335.32.

Yes, it is factual that on a trip you can come out the same as a gas truck that is the same, i.e. an F-150.

It is false to say "gas is a lot cheaper than DCFC.
It is false to say a Chevy Avalanche gets 28mpg on the highway.

All a bunch of BS.

Now, go take a trip. Actually plan it. Or, trust those of us that have driven tens of thousands of highway miles.

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[Zprime29]

With gas at $3.67/g, a 2,500 mile trip would cost $681.20.

I'm confused how you got to that number. At the risk of doing math in public, I get:
$681.20 / $3.67/g = 185.6g
2500mi / 185.6g = 13.47 mpg

I don't think it is unreasonable to compare driving the Lightning vs the alternate vehicle that is at a home. In my instance, we have my truck and a 2013 Honda pilot that gets 25 mpg on the highway. To drive 2500 miles it would take a cool 100 gallons at an average cost of $367. Let's say I drive 70 the whole way and get 2.1mpk in the Lightning, I'd need to average roughly $0.31/kWh to break even. That average might be doable on longer, overnight trips, but it isn't practically achievable in my situation (a 6 hour drive to see family). After my recent experience where the EA app DID NOT WORK and I had to pay full price...I'm second guessing road trips until I get the NACS adaptor. I paid $110 (EA membership, home charge to full, 2 stops, not including charge at in-laws) to go 640 miles. The same trip would have cost about $92 had we taken the Pilot (not to mention the time saved). I guess it depends on how you define "a lot".

I'm considering a Highlander Hybrid for the wife, 35mpg. That would put our 640 mile trip at $67...a $43 savings is nothing to scoff at. I would argue that cost savings is situationally dependent.

 

[davehu]

28 mpg on Avalanche ??? My Chevy Avalanche got about 18 mpg.... even less in the winter.

opps. typo. avalanche got 20mpg on the hwy. My Lariat does average about 2kwh/mile but, of course, not in the winter.

 

[davehu]

Balderdash!

You are either math-challenged or don't know gas prices outside your township.

..asd;lk;lkjpoiupociv

It is false to say "gas is a lot cheaper than DCFC.
It is false to say a Chevy Avalanche gets 28mpg on the highway.

All a bunch of BS.

Now, go take a trip. Actually plan it. Or, trust those of us that have driven tens of thousands of highway miles.

Avalanche got 20mpg. typo, sorry. But Just completed a weekend trip. 620 total miles. Left home at 100%. made 6 DCFC stops including one at our destination.

620 miles
2.1m/kw average
296kw used
DCFC avg cost $0.54/kw
Lightning total cost $135

620 miles
20 mpg
$3.1 gallon for gas
Chevy Avalanche total cost: $93

As the orginal poster said, and I concur, gas is cheaper than electricity at a DCFC. For sure in my neck of the woods, if not yours. I have seen many note that electricity costs are cheaper at Tesla sites than EA. Hopefully there will now be some competition with regards electricity charges, but for now if I take the Lightning on a trip I don't plan on saving anything on fuel costs.

 

[RickLightning]

Avalanche got 20mpg. typo, sorry. But Just completed a weekend trip. 620 total miles. Left home at 100%. made 6 DCFC stops including one at our destination.

620 miles
2.1m/kw average
296kw used
DCFC avg cost $0.54/kw
Lightning total cost $135

620 miles
20 mpg
$3.1 gallon for gas
Chevy Avalanche total cost: $93

As the orginal poster said, and I concur, gas is cheaper than electricity at a DCFC. For sure in my neck of the woods, if not yours. I have seen many note that electricity costs are cheaper at Tesla sites than EA. Hopefully there will now be some competition with regards electricity charges, but for now if I take the Lightning on a trip I don't plan on saving anything on fuel costs.

Did you pay for EA's Pass+? $7 for 25% discount. If not, your cost drops from $135 to $108.25 including the $7 fee.

Also, that cost doesn't include leaving home with a lower-priced tank, does it?

 

[Zprime29]

$3.1 for gas is below the national average. We've been $3.90 around here for a few months. Fully expect it to pop over $4 once summer gets into full swing. Using the current price puts gas cost around $121 around here. Point I'm trying to make is that we need to stop trying to convince everyone that one or the other is cheaper. It's all dependent on your region.

That said, I'm still pissed at EA for the app not working and I paid for pass+ but never got my discount. How the heck are we supposed to get the discount if the app doesn't work? C'mon Ford...get it together and figure out how to apply the discount through BlueOval.

I'm a little hangry, need to go get lunch.

 

[mrau]

I agree that DCFC charging does not save much cost over ICE vehicle. That is why I only recommend an EV to folks that can mostly charge at home or at work.

Your point is still clear, however the math seems a bit off.

296kw @ .54 per kw = $159. (not $135)

31 gallons @ $3.10 gal = $96 (close enough to $93)

 

[Joe.....Montana]

I'm confused how you got to that number. At the risk of doing math in public, I get:
$681.20 / $3.67/g = 185.6g
2500mi / 185.6g = 13.47 mpg

I don't think it is unreasonable to compare driving the Lightning vs the alternate vehicle that is at a home. In my instance, we have my truck and a 2013 Honda pilot that gets 25 mpg on the highway. To drive 2500 miles it would take a cool 100 gallons at an average cost of $367. Let's say I drive 70 the whole way and get 2.1mpk in the Lightning, I'd need to average roughly $0.31/kWh to break even. That average might be doable on longer, overnight trips, but it isn't practically achievable in my situation (a 6 hour drive to see family). After my recent experience where the EA app DID NOT WORK and I had to pay full price...I'm second guessing road trips until I get the NACS adaptor. I paid $110 (EA membership, home charge to full, 2 stops, not including charge at in-laws) to go 640 miles. The same trip would have cost about $92 had we taken the Pilot (not to mention the time saved). I guess it depends on how you define "a lot".

I'm considering a Highlander Hybrid for the wife, 35mpg. That would put our 640 mile trip at $67...a $43 savings is nothing to scoff at. I would argue that cost savings is situationally dependent.

We have a Highlander Hybrid as our second vehicle. On a 70 degree day I can get 33mpg going 83mph. On that same stretch with the Lightning we get 2 mi/kwh going 70 mph. We use the Highlander for any road trip over 200 miles one way. But the Lightning is way more comfortable.

 

[Zprime29]

We have a Highlander Hybrid as our second vehicle. On a 70 degree day I can get 33mpg going 83mph. On that same stretch with the Lightning we get 2 mi/kwh going 70 mph. We use the Highlander for any road trip over 200 miles one way. But the Lightning is way more comfortable.

Thank you for info! We haven't test driven one yet but it's what I'm leaning towards. We will probably swap out the pilot with something next year. I want to give things a little time to see what happens with charging infrastructure.

 

[davehu]

Did you pay for EA's Pass+? $7 for 25% discount. If not, your cost drops from $135 to $108.25 including the $7 fee.

Also, that cost doesn't include leaving home with a lower-priced tank, does it?

I didn't use EA's pass because cause the first half of the trip I was using up the balance (about 120kws) of the EA credits I got when I bought the Lightning. to do the calculations I just added in what it would have cost me if I had been paying. I only make a few trips a year but with all the EA inconsistencies (another story, another time) I'll be using Tesla probably exclusively once I get my adaptor.

And yes I did account for the cost at home charging. I left with a 100%, got home at about 55% and included the cost (at home price of $0.11/kwhr) charging once I got home to bring it back to 100%. (at home price of $0.11/kwhr)

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