Driving an EV Cost Per Mile over 30000 Miles

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Well since buying my first BMW i3 I have now completed 30000 Miles in it.

I am a great believer that EVs make sense for high mileage long distance business drivers more than the local potter about motorists you often see in them


Have been keeping a spreadsheet of costs to compare costs to my old vehicle (Volvo V40 Diesel)

Taking into account, Tax, Insurance, Maintenance, Congestion Charge, Parking (Congestion Charge and Parking are maybe a bit unfair so will separate them, but the others are direct comparisons)

I have a mix of home charging (Overnight at 4.9p Kwh) and PolarPlus Away Charging (Some Free & some at 10p Kwh)

I have spent £125.14 on Public Charging for 2389 Kwh so averages out at 5.2p Kwh
I have spent £290.40 on Home Charging for 5926 Kwh @ 4.9p Kwh

Total Electric used 8315 Kwh @ £415.54
Total Maintenance Costs £0.00 (Service is every 2 years and included for first 5 years)
Total VED = £0.00
Total Insurance £280.00

BMW i3 TOTAL RUNNING COSTS FOR YEAR = £695.54

In the Volvo V40 it would have been

Total Fuel for 30000 Miles 600 Gallons at 50mpg average (2724 Litres @ £1.15 Litre) = £3132.60
Total Maintenance Costs (Service Every 12.5k Miles @ £350) = £810.00
Total VED = £0.00
Total Insurance £190.00

VOLVO V40 TOTAL RUNNING COSTS FOR YEAR = £4132.60

NONE MOTORING RELATED

3 Days a week in Central London (Westminster)

BMW i3 NO COSTS
i3 is exempt from congestion charge and gets free parking in P&D bays in Westminster

VOLVO V40 £11.50 a Day Congestion Charge & £32.00 a Day Parking

Average 135 Days per Year. £43.50 a day = £5872.50 Savings for Company.


So in the year the car has saved the company £5872.50 by not having to pay for Parking and CC

And the car has added to my motoring pot by £12804.46

£13500 Paid to me by the company as mileage allowance less the actual running costs of £695.54

And as an added bonus the amount of public charging I have done has given me access via the Polar EV experience car scheme to a weeks free rental of the BMW i8 and Tesla X. Well worth the experience and a great saving on renting them for a week each
 
Can't think of a better argument for having an EV myself :thumbsup: Especially with those fringe benefits through work.
 
Wow, great post. This has really made me think about an EV as my next car.

My use case is ideal as I only do a 16 mile round trip a day and a weekends we use my wifes car.
 
Great post, thanks for sharing the numbers. How has the driving experience been over those 30,000 miles compared to the Volvo?

First let me say I loved the V40 I found it a really great car to be in and was very reluctant to let it go, but the i3 is in another ballpark, so silent and peaceful, in a way its made me a better driver as I dont feel the need to rush everywhere. (Apart from away from the traffic lights its so fun leaving normal cars in the distance), but with no gears or sound in traffic its a dream, stuck on the motorway or in London traffic its just so less stressful to drive. Honesly I could not go back to a petrol or Diesel.

Mine has the smaller 19kw battery so does 100 Miles in Summer and 80 in winter, so driving to London and back its added 1 hour to my day as I stop for a 30min charge at M1 Jnc 14 Milton Keynes Coachway on the way in and out.

I have just ordered a brand new 41kw Top of the Range Renualt Zoe, to take over on the long motorway runs and to keep the i3 for fun. The Zoe will do between 170-210 miles on a charge Winter/Summer so will negate the stop in Milton Keynes altogether.

I would not normally have considered a Zoe but the wait for the Tesa Model 3 is going to be long and the prices I feel will a lot higher than people initially thought.

Renault threw out a bonkers deal on the Top of the Range Zoe i (Battery Owned) Signature Nav Quick Charge Spec. Normally £31810 on the road before the £4500 Govmt Grant, But the dealer threw in another £7880 Discount bringing it down to £19430 OTR (38% off List) So figure I can run that as a motorway donkey for 3 of the 4 years it has warranty for, recover my total purchase costs (and then some in work expenses), and sell it at 3 years old with factory warranty left on it. Only downside is there is a long lead time and wont be built till December (Same for most EVs damn things are getting popular)
 
Renault Zoe?

Must check that EV out, do some research. The range seems good for a small car.
 
Renault Zoe?

Must check that EV out, do some research. The range seems good for a small car.

The new 41kw Zoe is the best for battery range at the moment, 250 Miles NEDC but 190 in Summer and 150 in winter realistically.

Problem is Renault push this stupid battery lease idea where you buy the car and then have to lease the battery as well, which adds in about £110 a month.

They do the i version where you own the battery, its about £8000 more than the battery lease version, but if you go through Car wow and haggle you can get the £8000 off as a dealer discount, so you end up with the same OTR price as the lease version but you own the battery.

Selling the car second hand the (i) battery owned versions are like Rocking Horse droppings so are holding value insanely well. Lets face it when its 5 years old who is going to want to be stumping up over £100 a month on a battery lease, they seemed like a good idea when the battery life was untested, but now the batteries are running well beyond even the most optimistic predictions the battery lease idea is flawed

Also Renualt Make it even more difficult by offering different DriveTrians and charging

The R90 (41kw) Has 2.4kw (13amp Socket), 3.5kw, 7Kw all Single Phase and 11kw and 22Kw 3 Phase Charging. and an NEDC Range of 250 Miles.

The Q90 (41kw) Has 3.5kw and 7kw Single Phase and 11kw, 22kw, and 43kw 3 Phase. and an NEDC Range of 230 Miles

The R90 uses a newer more efficient charging system and drivetrain which allows the lower charging rates but at the expense of losing the 43kw rapid charger, which means even on the fastest charger its going to take 2 hours to recharge

The Q90 uses the older and less effiecient charger and drivetrain which means you cant plug it into a 13amp socket in an emergency, but you Rapid charge ability to recharge it in 55mins.

Also the older Q90 with rapid charge is £750 more.

This along with the battery lease is just too much for many buyers and dealers making the whole thing just way too confusing
 
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I've read the on-line reviews done by several car magazines, some give 4 stars out of 5. What Car? review gave the Zoe 5 out of 5 and Auto Express 3 out of 5. A mixed bag.

I'm no longer interested because the look of the car puts me off, especially the interior. Cheap is a word that springs to mind.

Ignoring the look aspect the Zoe does tick a few boxes, but I think the Ioniq and Leaf are better value for money.
 
Must check that EV out, do some research. The range seems good for a small car.

The limitation right now is the cost of the batteries rather than the size.

My grandfather had a Zoe as it was a perfectly nice car, I never found the interior to be cheap.
 
I've read the on-line reviews done by several car magazines, some give 4 stars out of 5. What Car? review gave the Zoe 5 out of 5 and Auto Express 3 out of 5. A mixed bag.

I'm no longer interested because the look of the car puts me off, especially the interior. Cheap is a word that springs to mind.

Ignoring the look aspect the Zoe does tick a few boxes, but I think the Ioniq and Leaf are better value for money.

Horses for Courses, its a Renualt its never going to have the interior of the Up Market Marques, but its the range that is the killer feature, there is nothing else out there at the moment with a 40kw Battery, except Tesla, and even if you wait 2 years for the Model 3s to become easily available the price of even the basic spec long range model will be at least double the on the road price of the Zoe.

Personally having tested most EVs out there, my favorite of the None Teslas by a country mile is the BMW i3. Its fun quirky and practical (from me). Not giving mine up,. But for range the Zoe beats them all I found the Soul (Soul less), the leaf is just lacking in range even on the 30kw version (Lets see what nissan do next year). the ioniq again it is just short on range and priced in BMW teritory.

Have the Tesla X for a week from next Tuesday so will see if that makes me decide to sell the kids into slavery and mortgage the dog. if its that good I just cant live without one ;-)
 
Have the Tesla X for a week from next Tuesday so will see if that makes me decide to sell the kids into slavery and mortgage the dog. if its that good I just cant live without one ;-)

Am sure your love the X experience, especially if you have kids. Is it the 6 or 7 seater version your getting?
  • One tip, set the energy display to % battery charge left rather than estimated range in miles - Under control panel/units
  • You can save playlists on Spotify using the + icon when playing the song/play list.
  • The ultrasonic sensor are very accurate at detecting near by objects, very useful when parking.
  • You can overide the obstruction detected warning for the falcon wing doors by holding down the open door button on the control screen. The software is very conservative and overly protective. But do make sure the clearances are fine before over riding:).
 
Am sure your love the X experience, especially if you have kids. Is it the 6 or 7 seater version your getting?
  • One tip, set the energy display to % battery charge left rather than estimated range in miles - Under control panel/units
  • You can save playlists on Spotify using the + icon when playing the song/play list.
  • The ultrasonic sensor are very accurate at detecting near by objects, very useful when parking.
  • You can overide the obstruction detected warning for the falcon wing doors by holding down the open door button on the control screen. The software is very conservative and overly protective. But do make sure the clearances are fine before over riding:).

Cheers the info is much appreciated, Its the Chargemaster Experience Car you get for building up points by charging with them. (Already had the BMW i8 from them for a week and that was a real blast), AFAIK its the 90 Battery and a 6 seater. But will be nice to have the X as its new to the fleet and so still crispy and new ;-)

Agree on Battery % rather than GOM I drive on that on my i3, gives a much more realistic idea of what is happening

Just hope it does not taint me too much, love my i3 but having just ordered a Zoe as a second car dont want to be changing plans and emptying piggy banks for an X at the moment.
 

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