Electric the way to go with gas prices on the rise
No matter where you live in Canada, gasoline prices are doing nothing but going up.
Blame refinery and pipeline capacity, taxes or our oil-thirsty neighbours to the south — whatever it is, gas prices have done nothing but rise over the past four years and there’s little reason to think that trend is going to turn around.
So ... a suggestion from some of your local neighbours: Break free from the grip of the mighty oil companies and go electric:
ZAC GOODMAN, KIA SOUL EV
Goodman’s electric version of the Kia Soul is about 2 1/2 years old.
“I drive it to and from work, 20 kilometres each way,” he said. Goodman, who works in digital marketing, lives in Coquitlam. The vehicle cost him about $34,000, after the B.C. government’s $5,000 rebate.
“When I was making a case for buying electric I modelled based on (gas at) $1.20 and still came out ahead long run. With rebates, it’s a no-brainer for commuting under 50 kilometres. And there’s nowhere you can park that gives you free gas.”
At the time, there weren’t many options — it was going to be the Soul or the Leaf — and Goodman went with the Soul for “cosmetic reasons.”
In all, he’s been happy with the vehicle, though he notes that its limited range is going to hurt its resale value.
“In five years sub-200 kilometre ranges will be unheard of in EVs,” he said. “I’d (have gone) with a Tesla 3 if I knew it was right around the corner.
“It pays for itself on the savings, so there’s no regret.”
The Kia’s a pure city car: it can go about 120 km before needing a recharge. They also own a Chevrolet Pacific hybrid.
The Goodmans installed a Level 2 charger at home. It was free under a B.C. Hydro program. “And now there’s a $750 rebate for chargers, so thinking about a second (one).”
Over the last year, he’s spent about $400 on charging, as he takes advantage of public chargers.
JON MARTIN, CHEVY VOLT
Vancouver engineer Jon Martin is a big fan of his electric vehicle.
“I love not having to go to gas stations, it’s pretty amazing,” he said. “I love how quiet it is: there’s no transmission, there’s no engine noise.”
On a recent work trip he had to rent an Infiniti — there were no other cars available — and he was struck how his car at home “was quieter and smoother” than his higher-end rental.
The Volt does have a backup gas engine that he only uses for long trips to places like Oregon. It gets used so little he’s had just two oil changes in the 41/2 years he’s owned it.
“I’m on electric 99 per cent of the time,” he said. “Maintenance is way lower (than a standard gas vehicle). And because electricity is so green in B.C. I never have to feel any guilt like, ‘Oh no, I’m driving too much.’ ”
Martin bought his Volt in the U.S., which ended up costing him CDN$30,000. On his old car, he was spending about $120 a month in gas.
“And it had less power! Now I’m spending next to nothing. It’s probably $1,500 a year that I’m saving,” he said.
The only flaw is about where he lives: his condo building doesn’t have any charging stations, though he’s hopeful that’ll soon change. But he’s fortunate that there’s a charger at work, so he can plug in during the day. So, yes, that also means he’s basically paying nothing to fill up.
“People will only look at the cost today ... but if you look historically, gas goes up a lot more (in price) than electricity,” he said. “And the fact of the matter is gasoline is typically getting dirtier, because we’re having to go after more difficult sources for the fossil fuels.”
PAUL ROGERS, NISSAN LEAF
Rogers, a teacher who lives in North Vancouver, is unequivocal in his praise for his Leaf, which he has owned for just over a year.
“We love it,” he said of the 2015 model, which he bought used for about $16,500. “It is our primary city car and my wife and I fight over who gets to drive it. Whoever drives farthest that day wins. Most of our driving is from the North Shore over to town or around the shore.
“The electricity costs are only part of the massive benefit. The maintenance is obscenely low compared to our gas car. Once there is an electric SUV that will run for 500-plus kilometres at a reasonable cost we will buy one and never go back.”
The Leaf comes with a standard 120-volt, plug-in cable, which can be inserted into a regular electrical house outlet and charges the car overnight. He said if and when his family upgrades to an electric vehicle with a bigger battery that needs a higher-powered charger, they’d look at installing one.
“We’ve put about 10,000 kilometres on (the Leaf ) in that year,” he said. “That’s about $150 in electricity compared to about $2,000 in gas, so a savings of $1,850. In addition, no oil changes, tune-ups, transmission fluids, radiator fluids, timing belts, etc.”
He called his Leaf “the perfect commuter car.”
“The range on most electric cars is limited, Tesla not withstanding. But the notion that the daily driving distances for 90 or 95 per cent of people is within the range of current cars is absolutely true. It may not be a primary vehicle if you need to drive to the Interior or over to the Island, but as a second car it can’t be beat on both cost and environmental benefit.”
ZACH TAYLOR, TESLA MODEL X
Taylor, who works for an education company and lives in Vancouver, said his Tesla is proving to be a great family car.
“I was driving a 2014 Pathfinder hybrid before; it was costing about $1,300-plus a month to run,” he said. “All in, $777 in a lease, $400$500 in gas. Then every three months it needed $250 in oil service and every six it needed brakes and stuff done. As it got to three years old it was just getting more and more expensive.”
He called his X “a dream.” “It’s so great to drive.”
They bought their Tesla last August for $110,000, which included some add-ons like bigger wheels and heated seats. They’ve put 13,000 km on it since.
“People see the sticker price of a Tesla and think it’s, I don’t know, like you have to have $100,000 cash. I didn’t. I put $1,000 down and financed it,” he said. “If you really crunch the numbers operating one great car is better than two or three mid-level cars.”
His monthly payment is $1,585, and about $150 in electricity.
The costs may seem higher at first, but he figures the long game, combined with his family’s needs, makes the cost worth it.
“We have two kids and in-laws, so we need a six-to-seven passenger car. What’s out there? Audi Q7, Volvo x90 ... or a minivan, argh ... so if you won’t go minivan you are in the upper $70,000-$90,000 for a car, plus gas and more. German cars are not cheap to maintain. (We have an) eight-year plan to drive the Tesla and you can either break even or if gas gets to $2 per litre, maybe even come out ahead.”
At home, he’s installed a highercapacity charger that costs $850 to install.
“Plug it in at night and you are full in the morning. For the right person or family, it’s a great fit,” he said.
I love how quiet it is: there’s no transmission, there’s no engine noise.
JON MARTIN, Chevrolet Volt owner