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San Francisco Chronicle
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
How much money do you really save by owning an electric car in California?
Californians love their electric cars. More than 1 out of every 5 vehicles registered in California last year was a fully battery-powered electric one, according to data from Experian, compared to just under 1 in 10 nationally. Only 1.3% of cars on the road in America right now are fully electric, but over a third of those are registered here in California. The California government loves electric cars, too. 'There are a lot of benefits to decarbonizing transportation that are just super obvious to the state of California,' said Scott Moura, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Berkeley and the faculty director of the California Program for Advanced Transportation Technology. Offsetting the cost of EV ownership contributes to the state's goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality, which is why there are several state and local programs that benefit EV drivers. Electric vehicles aren't right for everyone. The sticker price puts EVs outside many people's budgets. And if you don't have a home where you can install a charger, the time and expense of using public chargers probably cancel out a lot of the benefits of an EV. Lifestyle plays a role too, said Keith Barry, senior autos reporter for Consumer Reports. 'Range anxiety,' or fear of running out of power before you get where you're going, can be a realistic concern, especially if charging options are limited. If you occasionally have to hop in the car and drive 500 miles through the desert, an EV is probably not the right choice for you, Barry said. But for people with a consistent local commute, the capacity to charge at home, and maybe a hybrid or gas-powered car on hand for longer road trips, an EV can be a good fit. Electric vehicles, which produce zero tailpipe emissions, are objectively better for the environment than vehicles with a gas-powered internal combustion engine, even when accounting for the electricity used for charging, according to the EPA. But are they better for your wallet? The answer, as with many of life's most vexing questions, is: It depends. The price of the car and the maintenance and mileage will all play major roles in your answer. A CNET analysis using national averages for mileage, electricity and gas costs found that charging an EV costs about half of what it costs to fuel up a gas-powered car. But both gas and electricity are more expensive in California. That makes a cost analysis shake out differently. Here's an in-depth breakdown of the potential costs and savings of buying, owning and fueling an electric car in California. Buying an EV versus a gas-powered car in California Buying If you're shopping for a new electric car, brace for some sticker stock. Vehicle valuation site Kelley Blue Book said the average transaction price for a new electric car in the U.S. was approximately $59,200 in March 2025. But electric vehicles are overrepresented in the luxury market, so that average is going to skew high. The site says all-in prices can range quite a bit, from as low as $29,280 for a new Nissan Leaf to upward of $100,000 for a Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. The average cost for a new gas-powered car in that time period was about $47,500. On the used market, Kelley Blue Book says the average cost for a secondhand electric car in March 2025 was a little over $36,900. The average used car (across all models, so including gas, electric and hybrid) was listed for $25,200 at the start of April, Kelley Blue Book reported. As EVs get more popular, the prices will continue to come down, said Jason Zimbler, senior director for light duty vehicles for clean transportation nonprofit CalStart. 'The scale of battery production has been going up dramatically,' he said. 'With economies of scale, you're getting cheaper and cheaper batteries, and the batteries are the most expensive component in the EV. So as batteries are getting lower cost, we're getting a future of cheaper EVs.' Both the federal and state governments offer incentives to buy electric cars that can take a bite off the bottom line. Under the federal Inflation Reduction Act, income-qualified buyers can get a tax credit of up to $7,500 for many new electric and plug-in hybrid cars. Used electric vehicles may be eligible for up to $4,000 in tax credits. Turning in a gas-powered car that can't pass a smog check can net you up to $2,000 in state incentives from the California Bureau of Auto Repair's consumer assistance program for vehicle retirement. Your city or county may offer additional incentives – check and enter your ZIP code to do an incentive search for your area. If you're interested in taking advantage of these perks, you might want to jump on your chance: House Speaker Mike Johnson recently said Republicans are likely to ax the Inflation Reduction Act's clean vehicle incentives to pay for other tax cuts. Leasing As with traditional gas-powered cars, monthly lease payments are considerably lower than installments on a car loan: The average monthly lease payment for a non-luxury electric vehicle in 2024 was $486, compared to $817 for the average loan payment, according to Experian data – $331 less per month. (As a personal finance reporter, I'm obligated to point out that if you keep your car until the wheels fall off, buying is almost always less expensive in the long run than leasing.) Owning an EV versus a gas-powered car in California Maintenance Maintenance costs are a major savings area for EV owners. An electric car doesn't need oil changes, and with no internal combustion engine, there are fewer parts to maintain and replace. The suspension lasts longer in an EV. And EVs brake differently than gas cars: Regenerative brakes convert braking into energy, instead of converting it into heat pinching a brake pad. That means brake pads need to be replaced a lot less frequently. 'I've owned an EV since late 2020. I've taken it in once' for maintenance, Moura said. The battery makes an EV heavier than a comparable gas-powered car, so tires may need to be replaced slightly more often. Insuring an electric vehicle can cost up to 20% more than a gas-powered car, or up to $44 more per month, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, but those prices are also coming down as more repair shops gain the capacity to service EVs. Tolls and HOV lanes If you live in the Bay Area, driving an EV can save you money on tolls. Eligible clean air vehicles can get a FasTrak CAV toll tag that gives drivers discounted rates during carpool hours. And for more than two decades, drivers of eligible EV and hybrid vehicles in California have enjoyed cruising solo in the carpool lane — but that program is set to expire in September, absent an extension by Congress. Registration Registering your electric vehicle is going to set you back a bit more than your old car. Because zero-emission EV owners don't use gasoline, they don't pay the taxes included in the cost of gas that go toward road improvement. To make up the difference, the state charges a road improvement fee of $118 with annual registration renewal for model years 2020 and newer. Charging at home or in public The most cost- and time-efficient way by far to charge an electric car is with a home charger. Unless you happened to have bought a house that already had one, you'll have to get the equipment and hire an electrician to install it. 'Don't buy an EV until you know how much it will be to install the charger,' said Barry. He drives an electric car, but with a cautionary tale: He lives in a 200-year-old house without an attached garage, so he had to pay thousands of dollars to dig a trench and install his charger. In a newer home, the costs will be considerably less. Expect the average cost of installing your charger to set you back between $200 to $2,000 in total, depending on whether you get a Level 1 or 2 charger and including the cost of labor, Zimbler said. Installing a qualified charger could make you eligible for up to $1,000 in federal tax credits. Look for local incentives as well: Some utilities, including Pacific Gas and Electric Co., offer rebates to help offset the costs of putting in charging equipment. Using a public charger costs an average of 35 cents per kilowatt-hour in California, according to AAA. Zimbler said most drivers will wait 15 to 20 minutes to get enough of a charge to get them to their destination or the next charging station. Fueling an EV versus a gas-powered car in California One of the biggest questions prospective California EV owners have is: How much will I save on gas? I gathered the numbers and crunched them with the Chronicle's data team, and here's the bottom line: Charging an electric car in California costs about 40% less than fueling a car with gasoline. Our calculations put the equivalent cost of a 'gallon of gas' for an electric car at about $2.90. To make this chart, our analysis had to make a lot of assumptions about annual mileage and fuel efficiency. Here's how I arrived at these numbers, and how you can calculate them to figure out what your cost comparison would be: Miles traveled per month: For both electric and gas-powered drivers, I used the U.S. Department of Transportation's average annual mileage for Californians (14,435) and divided that by 12. Fuel cost per gallon: AAA lists the most recent statewide averages, which is where I got this number. Different cities and countries assess different fees. Search GasBuddy to find your local price. Average miles per gallon: I used the Department of Energy's overall average for fuel economy for gas-powered vehicles. You can look up your car's average MPG by searching the make and model. Multiply the gallons needed per month times the cost of a gallon of gas to figure out what you need to spend on gas every month. Then, divide that total by the number of miles you drive to figure out what you pay per mile. Average miles per kWh: This is the electric vehicle's version of 'miles per gallon': how far you go per kWh your battery is charged. The average I used here was for all electric vehicles in 2023, the most recent year that analysis is available. Most electric vehicles list the kWh per 100 miles driven. Look up the make and model of any electric vehicle on Average kilowatt-hours used per month to charge: This will vary depending on your model, battery and how much you drive. I took the average miles driven per month and divided it by the fuel economy for electric vehicles to calculate this number. Average cost of electricity in California: For this chart, I took the average kWh cost across all of California for February 2025 from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This number will vary depending on your provider, your plan and whether you utilize time-of-use rates to charge your car when electricity is cheapest. For instance: If you're on PG&E's residential base plan in San Francisco County, your overall average is 38 cents per kWh. If you were on PG&E's electric-vehicle-oriented EV2-A plan, you would pay as little as 31 cents per kWh to charge your car between midnight and 3 p.m., or as much as 62 cents per kWh to charge it from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the summer. Jennifer Robison, a PG&E spokesperson, said EV2A customers could expect to pay an average of $3.20 for the equivalent of a gallon of gas. Cost per mile: For gasoline, divide the total you spend on gas per month by the total number of miles driven to determine what you spend per mile. For electric, divide the average cost of a kWh of electricity by the kWh per mile that the vehicle gets.
RTÉ News
22-04-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
French company's plans for Tipperary solar farm stalled by seven appeals
Plans by the French backed Power Capital Renewable Energy to construct a solar farm on lands close to Dualla village in south Tipperary have been stalled. Independent TD Mattie McGrath is one of over 300 to lodge submissions with Tipperary Co Council on the solar farm proposed for a 318 acre site. Seven third parties have now lodged appeals with An Bord Pleanála against the Council's decision to give the project the green light. They include equine farmer Keith Barry, Dualla Village Preschool, Dualla Together CLG, Conor and Kate Breen, Enda Howley, Donnacha Looby and Denis Looby and Kelly Reay. In his objection against the development which is to be located on farm-land 4km north west of Cashel, Deputy McGrath told the Council that a number of his constituents in the Dualla area "are extremely concerned about the proposed development". "I am concerned about the scale of this development and the impact it will have on neighbouring homes, farms, businesses and community facilities," he said. "A solar farm of this size would change the natural landscape of the local environment and would be in contravention of the Tipperary County Development Plan," he added. Deputy McGrath said that notwithstanding the need for renewable clean energy, "it is my belief that the proposed development, if permitted would negatively impact the surrounding area". The applicants, Power Capital Renewable Energy Ltd, have incurred cumulative losses of €54m across 2023, 2022 and 2021 as it has advanced solar farm projects across Ireland and the US. In 2020, Omnes, a Paris-based player in private equity and infrastructure, invested in PCRE and with that backing, PCRE focused on building a significant solar farm portfolio in Ireland and aims to be a major player in the Irish sector. Its most recent accounts show a pre-tax loss of €29.74m for 2023 and state that in the first half of 2024, the group completed the construction of four Solar PV projects with a capacity of 232MWp, with further portfolios of 325MWp and 115MWp commencing construction in Q2 2024 and Q4 2024 respectively. A planning report lodged with the solar farm application states that the proposed development will result in increased renewable electrical capacity which will in turn reduce the utilisation of fossil fuels within the national power grid. The report states that this development "will also contribute to meeting the national greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and overall have a positive impact on climate change". Keith Barry operates Milburn Farm, an 85 acre residential and equestrian farm 200 metres from the proposed site. In his objection, Mr Barry stated: "We have bred and currently own and breed show jumping horses which have represented our country in the international arena." Mr Barry stated that in excess of 280 individuals along with bodies that supply amenities to the small village of Dualla and its environs "have spoken and shared their concerns around water quality, health and safety and the general feeling of concern about how their homes". He stated that "the future of the village and its amenities and their quality of lives and that of their families in the future and beyond 40 years will be affected if this development is to go ahead". The co-owners of Dualla Village pre-school, Sarah Lawlor and Kelly Reay, told the council: "Our preschool and school aged service is thriving. We have worked hard to provide the children of Dualla and surrounding areas a quality, gold standard educational facility with a unique and cutting edge curriculum". "This solar development puts our business in jeopardy, by surrounding us with steel framed black glass and intrusive fences we will no longer be a sanctuary for the children of the village," they said. "The rolling green fields will be filled with black glass and steel and the gentle sounds of nature overrun by buzzing transformers and overhead electrical cables. Families will not want to live in an industrialised village which will have knock-on consequences for our intake of children," they added. A decision is due on the third party appeals in August.
Irish Examiner
21-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
French firm's plans for Tipperary solar farm stalled by seven appeals
Plans by the French-backed Power Capital Renewable Energy to construct a solar farm on lands close to Dualla village in South Tipperary have been stalled. Independent TD Mattie McGrath is one of over 300 people to lodge submissions with Tipperary County Council on the solar farm proposed for a 318-acre site, and now seven third parties have lodged appeals with An Bord Pleanála against the council's decision to give the project the green light. They include equine farmer Keith Barry, Dualla Village Preschool, Dualla Together CLG, Conor and Kate Breen, Enda Howley, Donnacha and Denis Looby, and Kelly Reay. In his objection against the development, which is to be located 4km from Cashel, Mr McGrath told the council that a number of his constituents in the Dualla area 'are extremely concerned about the proposed development'. I am concerned about the scale of this development and the impact it will have on neighbouring homes, farms, businesses and community facilities 'A solar farm of this size would change the natural landscape of the local environment and would be in contravention of the Tipperary County Development Plan.' Mr McGrath said that, notwithstanding the need for renewable clean energy, 'it is my belief that the proposed development, if permitted, would negatively impact the surrounding area'. The applicant, Power Capital Renewable Energy Ltd, has incurred cumulative losses of €54m across 2023, 2022, and 2021, as it has advanced solar farm projects across Ireland and the US. Irish portfolio In 2020, Omnes, a Paris-based player in private equity and infrastructure, invested in the firm. With the backing, Power Capital Renewable Energy Ltd has focused on building a significant solar farm portfolio in Ireland and aims to be a major player in the Irish sector. Its most recent accounts show a pre-tax loss of €29.74m for 2023, stating that in the first half of 2024, the group completed the construction of four solar PV projects with a capacity of 232MWp, with further portfolios of 325MWp and 115MWp commencing construction in Q2 2024 and Q4 2024 respectively. A planning report lodged with the solar farm application states that the proposed development will result in increased renewable electrical capacity which will, in turn, reduce the utilisation of fossil fuels within the national power grid. The report states that this development 'will also contribute to meeting the national greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and, overall, have a positive impact on climate change'. Keith Barry operates Milburn Farm, an 85-acre residential and equestrian farm 200m from the proposed site. In his objection, Mr Barry stated: 'We have bred, and currently own and breed, show-jumping horses which have represented our country in the international arena.' Mr Barry stated that in excess of 280 individuals, along with bodies that supply amenities to the small village of Dualla and its environs, 'have spoken and shared their concerns around water quality, health and safety, and the general feeling of concern about how their homes'. Mr Barry states that 'the future of the village, its amenities, and their quality of lives and that of their families in the future and beyond 40 years will be affected if this development is to go ahead'. The co-owners of Dualla Village Preschool, Sarah Lawlor and Kelly Reay, told the council: 'Our preschool and school-aged service is thriving. We have worked hard to provide the children of Dualla and surrounding areas a quality, gold standard educational facility with a unique and cutting-edge curriculum They stated: 'This solar development puts our business in jeopardy, by surrounding us with steel framed black glass and intrusive fences, we will no longer be a sanctuary for the children of the village. 'The rolling green fields will be filled with black glass and steel, and the gentle sounds of nature overrun by buzzing transformers and overhead electrical cables. Families will not want to live in an industrialised village which will have knock-on consequences for our intake of children.' A decision is due on the third party appeals in August. Read More Limerick Film Lab to promote West of Ireland as filming location
