Do Gasoline Cars Use More Electricity Than Electric Cars?

Do gasoline cars use more electricity than electric cars?

Yes. While the current upfront cost of an electric car is higher than a budget gasoline (or diesel) powered car, the cost is falling quickly and soon, electric cars will be LESS expensive than their traditionally-powered forebears. Why? Fuel cost. Gas/diesel is expensive, both to buy and to make. And to a degree, it’s finite (there’s only so much of it in the ground). There are other ways to make liquid fuels (plants, bacteria, etc.), but it’s very, very expensive. Also, as we all know, the byproduct of burning fuel is pollution. Conversely, making electricity to charge batteries is cheap, and it’s going to get cheaper. Eventually, much of the world’s power is going to come from solar power. The supply is essentially unlimited and free - no one owns sunlight. All we need to do is collect and store it, and we’re getting better at that all the time. Those collection systems will become more efficient and less expensive over time. Our entire energy grid system will change over from a “generate and distribute” model to a “capture and store” model. Yes, in a pinch, your electric car will power your home. This is already happening in some places, such as China and Japan. Locales dependent on expensive fuels for their power will be the first to make this changeover. The rest of the world will follow. Complexity. Fuel-powered vehicles are enormously complex, it’s a tribute to human ingenuity that t work as well as t do. Electric vehicles are incredibly simple, with few moving parts and highly configurable design options (since there is no large engine). Simple designs require less maintenance, so there’s a huge cost savings in upkeep and maintenance. And unlike most fueled vehicles, electric vehicles can also be made more efficient while delivering higher performance with relatively simple upgrades as the technology advances. Ever use an old $4000 PC? A modern $600 laptop blows it away in every possible way. Electric vehicles will work the same way. We are in the 128K Mac era of electric vehicles right now. In 10 years, we will laugh at their design foibles as we drive around (or are DRIVEN around) in affordable, self-driving, near-silent machines that seem like t are out of science fiction. Performance. Ever drive a P-Series Tesla? I have, and it’s frikkin amazing. The acceleration is both instant and breathtaking. And to think these are the early days of modern Electric Vehicles (EVs). Great things are coming as the performance of top-tier cars trickles down to the budget-friendly models. While the Tesla and other models use a central electric motor (or two of them), future EVs will also use hub motors, essentially putting the motor in the wheel. Check out the ACTON QU4DRO electric skateboard - that’s close to how many future electric cars will work (also, it’s a bonkers skateboard). Plus, with wheels able to turn 180 degrees (or more), future EVs will be able to move in ways cars never have before - as in, no more parallel parking. Moving the motors into the wheels also frees up ever more space for more batteries or trunk space, or passenger space. Designers will have some amazing vehicles for us in the near future. But bottom line. EVs are going to get faster, smarter, and more fun to ride in than any fueled car could ever hope to be. Hope that helps!