Blue View – Buying an EV? Some Things to Consider... Part 2

Since last week’s blog, I’ve done more research and I want to elaborate on and/or correct a couple of points in that blog. In addition to other articles, I found an excellent reference paper, Life Cycle Analysis Comparison – Electric and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles, released in January of 2022. This research was conducted by Ricardo Strategic Consulting and funded by the Fuels Institute, a non-advocacy research organization dedicated to studying transportation energy. If you are interested, you can download a copy here.

One of my questions in last week’s blog related to the calculation of the total carbon footprint of a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) over the 200,000-mile lifetime of the vehicle – did it take into account the depletion and replacement of the battery bank in a BEV at least once during its lifetime. The Fluids Institute report does address my question, and, indeed, the study did assume that the batteries would have to be replaced once or twice during the lifetime calculations.

One correction: I stated that a BEV contributes between 34% and 41% of the carbon footprint contributed by an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) over a 200,000-mile lifetime. I should have stated that over an assumed vehicle lifetime of 200,000 miles, a BEV produces about 41% fewer tons of greenhouse gases. The Fuels Institute report also concluded that “BEVs are less carbon intense than ICE vehicles after 19,000 miles of operation”.

In last week’s blog, I also talked about how the very large BEV pickups and SUVs actually produce more carbon per mile than many gas-powered ICEs, and I found a couple of interesting statistics. Their batteries are huge… the Hummer’s battery pack which weighs a whopping 2,940 pounds, uses more lithium than the batteries for three smaller BEVs or 240 electric bikes.

Okay – I’ve digressed enough. Time to move on to part 2 of some things to consider if you’re thinking about buying a BEV...

Range Anxiety

Running out of juice with a BEV is probably the biggest negative of all-electric vehicles. If the batteries get too low, the only option is to get the vehicle towed to a recharging station. In the not-too-distant future, EV charging stations will be as omnipresent as gas stations, and EV driving ranges will match or exceed the fuel range of most any gas-powered vehicle, but for now, range anxiety for BEVs can sometimes be a problem. If all your driving is near home, in the city or on major highways, finding a way to recharge is not an issue. On the other hand, looking at the locations of charging stations throughout the U.S. reveals few areas in which charging stations are not yet available. Even our road trip last summer that took us along US-2 from Seattle to Maine, with a side trip to circumnavigate Lake Superior would now be possible with a little planning and forethought, in a BEV. (Out of curiosity, when we were actually driving the route last year, we checked and found that there were some stretches that just didn’t have charging stations within the range of a typical BEV. Things have already changed since then. Now, the longest distance between charging stations along our entire route is 136 miles – well withn the range of almost all BEVs).

As an aside, that trip was, for us, a combination camping, biking and road trip, which we did in Blanche, our gas-powered Ram Promaster van. It’s a sure bet that a practical BEV van conversion will be a reality in the near future, however. Presently, there are a couple of new entries on the market, and one, Maxwell, converts Ram Promaster vans from gas to electric. The conversion adds 1400 watts of solar to the roof along with an instant water heater, heating and air conditioning, and the extended range option provides a driving range of up to 250 miles. They sell either a new van already converted, or can convert an existing van from gas to electric. It’s not cheap, however. I talked with the company’s CEO who told me that the cost to convert my Promaster to electric with all the bells and whistles would be around $80,000… a little more than I’m willing to pay right now. Maxwell also partners with Nook Industries if you want a completed van conversion.

Operation and Maintenance Costs

BEV owners get free lifetime oil changes from dealers (Ha-ha. A local Jiffy Lube here actually advertises this). And since much of the braking is done by regenerative braking systems, which rely less on the wheel-mounted disc and calipers, brakes are expected to last well over 100,000 miles. But what about all the other maintenance issues and operational costs? In the long run, will BEVs be less expensive to maintain and run than ICEs? Here’s what the Fuels Institute report concluded about the cost of operating and maintaining a BEV:

Insurance. Insurance costs are about 20% higher for BEVs. This is due to several factors. BEVs weigh more than their ICE counterparts, and as a result, accidents involving BEVs often cause more damage. The batteries in BEVs are expensive and usually can’t be repaired – only replaced if damaged. And BEVs are more expensive than an equivalent ICE, making repairs or replacements more expensive. Average cost of insurance per year – ICE vehicle: $1343, BEV: $1597.

Fuel. Fuel, as you would expect is much lower for a BEV than for an equivalent ICE. Average cost per year for ~12,000 miles – ICE vehicle: $1964, BEV: $520

Repairs and Maintenance. I would expect annual maintenance and repairs to be less with a BEV, and the report bears this out. Average cost per year for maintenance and repairs: ICE vehicle: $2146, BEV: $1353.

Tallying this all up, the average annual operation and maintenance costs for the two types of vehicles… ICE vehicle: $5453, BEV: $3470

There is an important caveat here. The figures are based on a ten-year ownership of the vehicle, but do not include the cost of replacing the battery bank. While many electric vehicle manufacturers only provide an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on their batteries, most experts feel that the battery packs in BEVs should last 10-20 years. Maybe – maybe not, but even if the batteries had to be replaced and cost $15,000 (an online estimate I found for Tesla Model S batteries), a BEV would still cost less to operate and maintain than the equivalent ICE.

Total Ownership Cost (TOC).

The Fuels Institute report also calculated the total cost of ownership over ten years, comparing BEVs to ICEs. Their calculations consider purchase cost and residual value, as well as operating and maintenance costs. The bottomline: ICE vehicles: $81,581, BEV: $62,957.

This does include the current $7,500 tax rebate on EVs, but again, does not include replacement of the battery pack, and assumes that the batteries will last ten years. Presumably, the residual value of the BEV used in these calculations takes into account that the batteries are nearing their end of life.

Servicing Concerns.

Will the local dealer service departments have techs that have been factory-trained to service and repair the BEVs? Will they stock replacement parts? Will the typical auto repair garage be able to repair a BEV? I called the service managers at two local dealers, and both assured me that they had well-trained techs that could diagnose and repair the BEVs they sell, that the self-diagnostics in the new cars are very good at identifying most problems, and parts inventory is less of a problem now than a year ago… but then I didn’t expect them to tell me they were having problems. The local repair garage manager told me that they could work on everything but the batteries and drive train - not a surprise either. I wonder more about the new EV companies and how they plan to support their vehicles. If I buy a Rivian, Lucid, Nio, Faraday Future, Canoo or one of the other new offerings, can I get it serviced here in Las Vegas, or on a trip through Montana, if I have a problem?

Recharge time.

The time it takes to recharge is not much of a concern if the BEV is only used to commute and run errands around town and the vehicle can be topped up at home each night. If road trips are part of the plan, however, sitting at a recharge station for a couple hours every 150 miles would be frustrating. Many of the newer BEVs tout a fast recharge time – 80% of full charge in just 20 minutes for example, and a range of 320 or so miles, so we’d be able to travel further between charges and use the 20-minute recharge time as a bathroom, meal and stretching opportunity. If we decide a BEV is for us, the recharge time will be a major consideration when selecting which BEV to buy.

Overloading the Grid.

When I talk to friends and relatives about buying a BEV, the number one comment relates to how the electrical grid is overloaded already, especially in the southwest, so why add to the problem by buying a BEV? This might be a legitimate concern, so I did a lot of research on the topic. I found many articles and papers on the subject, and the upshot is that it isn’t a problem.

Right now in California, which has the largest number of EV owners in the US, electric vehicles account for only 0.2% of grid energy consumption, while here in Las Vegas, the percentage is even lower. Nevada Energy, as well as many other power companies around the country, also encourage charging an EV during off-peak hours (peak hours here are 1PM-7PM weekdays during the summer months) by offering reduced rates during the lower usage times. Waiting until 7:01 PM on a weekday to start charging our BEV doesn’t sound like much of an inconvenience. Eventually, when the majority of vehicles become electrified, it’s estimated that the EVs will account for 24% of grid energy, but this won’t happen for at least a decade, giving the energy companies time to adjust to the increased demand.

So, after all this research, we’ve decided that buying a BEV makes sense for us. There are no ‘deal breakers’, and the positives outweigh the negatives. The next question is, given we’re determined to buy a BEV, which one makes the most sense for us. Stay tuned...