Cost savings of Pacifica Hybrid: Gas vs Electricity

[columbo]

I've been watching this closely and doing some calculations so I wanted to share this on the Pacifica Hybrid Forum.

Gasoline in my part of Canada is 123.9 a liter (US $3.60 a gallon) and electricity is 9 cents per kW-h. 80 MPGe equates to 26.2 kWh per 100km. I would expect in gas hybrid mode once the battery depletes to 40%, the Chrysler Pacifica will use 25 MPG city and highway which is 9.3 L/100km. At 20000 km a year with 60% of my usage in electric mode and 40% of my usage in gas mode, that's $253 in electricity and $922 in fuel. That's 6 cents a km or just under 10 cents a mile. Over 160,000km, that's $9,600.

Now of course, if driving was only short trips and it could be done on electricity, then the cost savings go up even more. 160,000km on electric only power the cost would only be 2.4 cents per km, for a total cost of $3840!

 

[picasso]

In another article, I read that the upcharge for a hybrid in the Pacifica could be as much as $10,000 with eligibility for a $7,500 income tax credit. So, with a net differential of $2,500.00, you would have to drive at least 40,000 miles before realizing any long-term savings on the hybrid.

For a family that drives less than 30 miles per day, the savings might reach pay-off sooner, but for most commuters or someone like me who lives 25 miles from town - which means a 50 mile round trip to go grocery shopping, driving fuel-free every day is not possible. I'm not suggesting that hybrids are not a good idea but it will be a long time before gas engines can be totally phased out.

 

[Tessy]

The province of Ontario is installing 500 new charging stations across the province where is BC is only adding 12 fast charging stations across the province

 

[LAev]

This works well for Canadians because our electrical costs are so low out in the west we have hydro electricity which is relatively cheap and somewhat eco-friendly the electric and phevs vehicles are a good bet for us compared to other countries