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Which goes further for $43 - a Tesla or a Gas Car?

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Following up from a prior posts - I recently noted Supercharger rates approaching the mid $0.4x's per kWh. This is occurring against a larger macro-economic picture of an emerging global energy shortfall and shifting geopolitical realiaities (obviously these issues are far beyond the scope of TMC but I reference them here to provide context to this post: I believe we're currently facing a structural energy shortage from which I suspect we'll emerge once the geopolitical tensions cool down, even if it takes a few years.)

Anyways I wanted to update my prior post with some recent data where a user noted mid $0.4x's to access Level 3 DC charging:

I recently completed a Houston → Miami → Houston road-trip and can share the following stats:
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The notable takeaways for myself are:
  • SC rates in the mid $0.4x's are approx-dollar-to-dollar comparable to gas around $4 with an assumed 33mpg efficiency
  • A 2.6k road trip required a functional extra day of charging (11h, 40m to be specific)
  • FUSC - essentially a $0.00 futures contract on energy with Tesla as the counterparty - will appreciate in value if commodities continue to rise in value due to inflation and/or supply constrictions

This strikes me as fair and mimics my own experience.

Supercharging required a functional day of added time.

Granted I could often weave in a SC charge with something else (emails, lunch, gym, etc.) but the key point is I had to allocate prime-time to charging when I would not have otherwise had to do so with an ICE.

That said, if I needed to be somewhere fast I'd just fly but still the point remains: road-tripping in a Tesla will require a material amount of extra [change] time when compared to an ICE option.

I completed a 5,300 mile trip last month from MI to MT, WY and CO back to MI.

Was able to go from Keystone CO to West MI (~1,200 miles) in about 18 hours. I didn’t notice any material difference in time spent vs ice because I still had bodily needs.

Also the FUSC is definitely a major perk. Would still take the Tesla even if I had to pay for supercharging since I enjoy driving it. And the gas savings are real.

If I needed to be there sooner, I’d fly (assuming the flight wasn’t delayed or canceled). But I’m avoiding that due to the mess there.
 

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Recently completed ~7.3k mile road-trip, albeit in an X. Average efficiency clocked in at 326Wh/mile.

Supercharged ~2,485 kWh with an average cost of $0.37 per TeslaFi's calculation of cost (car currently has a flavor of FUSC so Tesla currently invoices $0.00 for SC usage).

So per the OP of this thread, $43 spent towards SC at $0.37 → 116.2kWh, which I'll round down to 110.0kWh of drivable energy to account for loss/accessory usage.

110.0kWh with 326 Wh/mile implies ~337 miles at the averages mentioned above.

As of today AAA lists the average gas price in the states at $3.824 / gallon, meaning you'd be able to buy ~11.2 gallons for $43.

Therefore the implied MPG to equal the stats from the X referenced above is ~30.1 mpg.

Or said another way, $43 would take an ICE car further based upon these averages if its mpg was greater than ~30mpg.

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Recently completed ~7.3k mile road-trip, albeit in an X. Average efficiency clocked in at 326Wh/mile.

Supercharged ~2,485 kWh with an average cost of $0.37 per TeslaFi's calculation of cost (car currently has a flavor of FUSC so Tesla currently invoices $0.00 for SC usage).

So per the OP of this thread, $43 spent towards SC at $0.37 → 116.2kWh, which I'll round down to 110.0kWh of drivable energy to account for loss/accessory usage.

110.0kWh with 326 Wh/mile implies ~337 miles at the averages mentioned above.

As of today AAA lists the average gas price in the states at $3.824 / gallon, meaning you'd be able to buy ~11.2 gallons for $43.

Therefore the implied MPG to equal the stats from the X referenced above is ~30.1 mpg.

Or said another way, $43 would take an ICE car further based upon these averages if its mpg was greater than ~30mpg.

View attachment 963325View attachment 963326


I'm sure it's been said elsewhere in this chat, but DC Fast Charging is a much more expensive charging method than L2 charging. The infrastructure required to dump that much energy into a battery in a short period of time is enormous; the utility costs are similarly much more expensive when buying commercial circuits.

The same X, driven back and forth to work for a month and charged on L2 infrastructure, especially if it's charged from solar, will be considerably cheaper (for the energy) than a penalty box chevy spark for the same month of round trip driving; regardless of the size of the commute or the time of year. The EV will also be considerably more convenient (presuming available charging infrastructure) to fuel up too -- because you'll just park car, plug in car, go on about with your life.

I'll ignore "But what if I am driving 800 miles to work every day?" whatabouts -- an EV isn't good for a car with a more than 40% duty cycle *if* you're using only L2 charging.
 
I'm sure it's been said elsewhere in this chat, but DC Fast Charging is a much more expensive charging method than L2 charging. The infrastructure required to dump that much energy into a battery in a short period of time is enormous; the utility costs are similarly much more expensive when buying commercial circuits.
Time is money.

I’m not disagreeing with your points about L2 but will note “Preferences are optional and subject to constraints, whereas constraints are neither optional nor subject to preference”.

Over 7.3k miles I only had one L2 charge; it was at a Hyatt near ORD where the hotel installed two HPWCs and one was already occupied. I got lucky and grabbed the second. Anyone else who may have needed it was not so lucky. Took 10½ hours to deliver 79kWh. Sure, it was free, er, more free-er, than SCing, but relying on public L2s to support core charging is, I fear, a preference where one will quickly be disabused of holding when they come face-to-face with the constraints of the real world today…Q3 2023.
 
Time is money.

I’m not disagreeing with your points about L2 but will note “Preferences are optional and subject to constraints, whereas constraints are neither optional nor subject to preference”.

Over 7.3k miles I only had one L2 charge; it was at a Hyatt near ORD where the hotel installed two HPWCs and one was already occupied. I got lucky and grabbed the second. Anyone else who may have needed it was not so lucky. Took 10½ hours to deliver 79kWh. Sure, it was free, er, more free-er, than SCing, but relying on public L2s to support core charging is, I fear, a preference where one will quickly be disabused of holding when they come face-to-face with the constraints of the real world today…Q3 2023.
Road tripping in an EV is no longer much cheaper than gas. Too bad. But I still prefer driving an EV on trips.
 
Road tripping in an EV is no longer much cheaper than gas. Too bad. But I still prefer driving an EV on trips.

I think it is still marginally cheaper. And when you include L2 overnight it's definitely cheaper. As more destinations install L2 charging it will all get better. Resorts, Airbnbs, theme parks, sports venues, theaters, national parks, anything we drive long trips to visit.

But for commuting, holy crap. I pay 1/4 what my coworkers pay and I make no special stops for my car.
 
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