If you’ve gone shopping for a new electric car, you already know they cost a significant amount more than a regular vehicle. But a new study unveils something we already suspected, that many EV owners aren’t driving them all that much.
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According to iSeeCars, electric cars on average are driven 20 percent less than gas-powered vehicles. One might guess that could be due to a number of factors, like EV owners living closer to work and not needing to drive as far.
Another possibility is that electric vehicles take a long time to recharge, so drivers aren’t able to tool around in them as much. Plus, with limited range on certain models, taking them on longer trips isn’t all that practical.
When the data from hybrids and plug-in hybrids is calculated, they’re driven only 2.7% and 4.8% less than traditional vehicles. Both can be gassed up in a few short minutes and they often boast some of the best driving ranges around.
But here’s where it gets really interesting: iSeeCars found that even though they’re driven less, EVs cost 63.6% more to drive for every 1,000 miles versus traditional cars.
Karl Brauer, iSeeCars Executive Analyst, seems to be thinking along the same lines as us. He said, “Range anxiety and charging infrastructure are top-of-mind for EV drivers, and those factors likely limit how far owners will drive them. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids, where all-electric battery range is limited but range anxiety isn’t a factor, are driven only slightly less than gasoline cars, as reflected in their similar yearly mileage.”
Not shockingly, Teslas are driven further than other EVs. They have a dedicated charging infrastructure and generally better driving range. For whatever reason, the Model S is the one exception.
Read the iSeeCars study for yourself here.
Image via Tesla
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