How we calculate commute costs

This calculator takes your one-way commute distance, doubles it for the round trip, then multiplies by your work schedule to get monthly and annual commute miles. For the EV side, we use your selected vehicle's EPA-rated efficiency (kWh per 100 miles) and your state's residential electricity rate to calculate electricity costs. For gas, we divide commute miles by your car's MPG and multiply by the gas price.

Why EV commuting is cheaper

Electric motors are roughly 3 to 4 times more efficient than internal combustion engines at converting energy into motion. At the national average electricity rate of 16.11 cents/kWh, most EVs cost between $0.03 and $0.05 per mile. A gas car averaging 28 MPG at $3.50/gallon costs about $0.13 per mile. That efficiency gap adds up quickly over 250+ commute days per year.

Factors that affect your real commute cost

• Highway vs city driving: EVs are more efficient at lower speeds, while gas cars often get better highway MPG. Stop-and-go commutes favor EVs even more due to regenerative braking.
• Temperature: Cold weather increases EV energy use by 20 to 40%. Pre-conditioning while plugged in helps offset this.
• Time-of-use rates: Many utilities charge less at night. Charging off-peak can reduce your commute electricity cost by 30 to 50%.
• Workplace charging: Free or subsidized workplace charging can eliminate commute fuel costs entirely.