Electric Vehicle Savings & Emissions Calculator
Estimate your potential annual fuel cost savings and CO2 emissions reduction by switching from a gasoline car to an electric vehicle.
miles
Your Current Gasoline Vehicle
$/gallon
MPG (Miles Per Gallon)
Your Potential Electric Vehicle
$/kWh
Wh/mile (Watt-hours per mile)
Understanding Electric Vehicle Benefits
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are rapidly gaining popularity, not just for their environmental benefits but also for their potential to significantly reduce running costs. This calculator helps you compare the annual fuel expenses and carbon footprint of a traditional gasoline car versus an electric vehicle, based on your driving habits and local energy prices.
How Fuel Costs Compare
The primary financial advantage of an EV often comes from the lower "fuel" cost. While gasoline prices can fluctuate wildly, electricity prices tend to be more stable and, on average, are equivalent to paying less than $1.00 per gallon of gasoline for an efficient EV. Our calculator takes your annual mileage, the efficiency of both vehicles, and the respective fuel/electricity prices to estimate your potential annual savings.
- Gasoline Car Efficiency (MPG): This measures how many miles your gasoline car can travel on one gallon of fuel. Higher MPG means better fuel economy.
- EV Efficiency (Wh/mile): This measures how many Watt-hours of electricity an EV consumes to travel one mile. Lower Wh/mile indicates better efficiency. For context, 1 kWh (kilowatt-hour) equals 1000 Wh. A typical EV might consume between 250-350 Wh/mile.
- Average Gasoline Price ($/gallon): The cost you pay for a gallon of gasoline.
- Average Electricity Price ($/kWh): The cost you pay for one kilowatt-hour of electricity. This can vary significantly by region and even by time of day if you have a time-of-use electricity plan.
Environmental Impact: CO2 Emissions
Beyond cost savings, a major driver for EV adoption is the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. While EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, the electricity they consume still has an associated carbon footprint, depending on how that electricity is generated (e.g., coal, natural gas, solar, wind). However, even when considering the average grid mix, EVs typically result in significantly lower overall emissions compared to gasoline vehicles.
Our calculator uses standard emission factors:
- Gasoline CO2 Emissions: Approximately 8.887 kilograms of CO2 are produced per gallon of gasoline burned.
- Electricity Grid CO2 Emissions: This factor represents the average CO2 emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated in your region. For this calculator, we use a national average of 0.4 kg CO2/kWh, but it's important to note that this can vary. For example, states with a high percentage of renewable energy will have a lower grid CO2 factor.
Realistic Example:
Let's consider a scenario with the default values:
- Annual Miles Driven: 12,000 miles
- Gasoline Car: 25 MPG, Gasoline Price $3.50/gallon
- Electric Vehicle: 300 Wh/mile, Electricity Price $0.15/kWh
Gasoline Car Costs & Emissions:
- Gallons needed: 12,000 miles / 25 MPG = 480 gallons
- Annual Fuel Cost: 480 gallons * $3.50/gallon = $1,680.00
- Annual CO2 Emissions: 480 gallons * 8.887 kg CO2/gallon = 4,265.76 kg CO2
Electric Vehicle Costs & Emissions:
- kWh needed: (12,000 miles * 300 Wh/mile) / 1000 Wh/kWh = 3,600 kWh
- Annual Charging Cost: 3,600 kWh * $0.15/kWh = $540.00
- Annual CO2 Emissions: 3,600 kWh * 0.4 kg CO2/kWh (average grid) = 1,440.00 kg CO2
Savings & Reductions:
- Annual Fuel Savings: $1,680.00 – $540.00 = $1,140.00
- Annual CO2 Reduction: 4,265.76 kg – 1,440.00 kg = 2,825.76 kg CO2
As you can see, the savings can be substantial, both for your wallet and the environment!
Your Annual Comparison:
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