Electric car owners probably don’t watch the utility pricing the way drivers of gasoline-fueled cars pay attention to fuel prices. A recent study from Zutobi found drivers in states with cheaper electricity can get twice as many miles out of $100 worth of electricity than those in pricier states suggests EV drivers should watch their bills closely.
Zutobi found drivers in Oklahoma, which has the cheapest electricity in the U.S., will spend just $2.12 to drive 100 miles in the Tesla TSLA, +1.09% Model 3 used as a baseline. A crisp $100 bill worth of electricity will deliver 4,709 miles.
See: This is the electric car that costs the least over 5 years
Hawaii’s electricity costs nearly four times as much as Oklahoma’s. Accordingly, it costs $7.27 to add 100 miles worth of electric range to a Model 3. A hundred dollars in electricity will deliver just 1,375 miles of range, too.
Overall, the 10 cheapest states are largely in the central or northwestern U.S. Here’s a look at how much it costs in each of those states to drive 100 miles:
- Oklahoma – $2.12
2. Missouri – $2.23
3. Nebraska – $2.24
4. Arkansas – $2.24
5. North Dakota – $2.25
6. Louisiana – $2.28
7. Washington – $2.32
8. Utah – $2.39
9. Idaho – $2.39
10. Tennessee – $2.47
Accounting for the District of Columbia (which, incidentally, comes in at 32nd at $2.92), the 10 most expensive states according to the study are primarily in the Northeast:
51. Hawaii – $7.27
50. Rhode Island – $5.57
49. Massachusetts – $5.31
48. California – $5.10
47. Alaska – $5.08
46. Connecticut – $5.07
45. New Hampshire – $4.51
44. Vermont – $4.38
43. New York – $4.35
42. Michigan – $4.03
41. Maine – $3.93
40. New Jersey – $3.85
Learn more: Curious about EVs? Here are answers to common questions about electric cars
Perhaps the biggest surprise comes from the disparity between Washington state and California, the two biggest EV adopters by far. Then again, cheaper EVs are hitting the market, so the math may still work in electrification’s favor.
This story originally ran on Autotrader.com.
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