Electric Cars Are Starting To Make Sense

 

      I had a most informative phone conversation with a woman employee of Pacific Gas and Electric yesterday morning. I asked her to explain the current electricity billing plan that we have had since solar power was brought online. I got a most pleasant surprise.

      From twelve midnight until 3:00 PM (15:00) we can charge electric cars, run the dishwasher, wash clothes, etc. We are charged 19 cents US per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed.

      I focused on the recent charging of our Tesla Model X that consumed roughly 100-kilowatt hours of electricity. We were able to charge the battery all the way up and give the vehicle a range of 355 miles for a cost of $19.00 US. I pointed out to Elena that if we had a large piston engine, the cost to fill the tank with gasoline (petrol) would have been over $50.00. We are saving $31.00 with each full charge to the Tesla batteries.

     Elena has a rare talent for asking brilliant questions and finding holes in arguments. She argued that this electric vehicle was much more expensive than a similar gas-powered vehicle. She asked how long it would take to make up the cost difference.

     I accepted her argument at first. I thought about it long and hard. The Tesla Model X started life with a price tag of $160,000 in the US. By the time we bought this car last December, the price had dropped to $75,000 US stripped. The model we bought came in at $100,000 US.

I am quite familiar with the high-end SUVs sold by Cadillac. They are the same size, passenger capacity, and cargo hauling capacity as the Model X. Their prices range from $87,000 US to $100,000 US. There is a piston engine car that is the analog of the Model X. It is far more expensive than the Model X to operate. Electric cars make sense. Please watch the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. I am hearing serious talk of a $12,000 US tax credit when one buys a new electric vehicle.