N. California (PG&E) - Cheaper to drive on Fuel than to Charge

Um, interesting.
Regarding the math calculation, my NorCal PGE has increasing cost-tiered rates.
If one is now charging a car, that usage should be added to one's regular usage to attain an average to use in the calculations.

FWIW in California I am not surprised PGE charging is more expensive than gasoline.
Then the "hidden" costs. Charger install, battery degradation, as two examples, and even adding roof solar panels.
Math is fun LOL

Great topic.

 

Yep, it's an inconvenient truth, but using bad data or wild estimates can really mess up your outcomes.

 

Is anyone expecting util bill to go down anywhere? How bout charging fees at pay for charge chargers? less in the future? Solar, wind, hydro, etc. looks like a second mortgage to me, can't say how others in the chat box calculate those costs and breakeven breakdown mafhs.

 

Home solar is an investment regardless of whether there is a plug in car at the home or not. Then it, and the charger, can increase the home's value.

Plus, there are all the other costs of owning an ICE car beyond fuel if we are going that deep.

 

With a Prius the battery is so small, free charging doesn’t take very long. I use it almost daily. Most of the time a wall outlet in a public garage. Love the way it works out. I walk and get exercise as a bonus, as long as the daily charge meets the daily need, all is good. Sometimes the real evs don’t occupy the free level 2 and I grab that. Did it last night.

 

My facility had to put a 3-hrs time limit on charging spots. We had people "Bogart" the spot for their entire 8-12hr shift. Parking sensor and cameras monitor them. We had a couple of idiots unplugging cars and plug theirs in an adjacent parking spot.

 

I quit charging because it ran up my PGE bill. .52KWH. It is cheaper to use gas even at Newsome's cruel high gas taxes and driving out of the state refineries. What happened to clean and cheap natural gas generators in Calif. The electricity is not green when they buy out of state.
Are they buying electricity generated by coal? I do know that they were burning wood at co-generators pushing the price of lumber up. Wood chips made from PGE fires in millions of acres of forests.

My friends are now in Idaho, Texas, or Florida. So many have moved into Idaho that the price of land now equals country land prices in Calif. And, it is easier to split land in Calif. than in Idaho. Thus, most who care about the price of gas and the freedom to have gas appliances and cars are gone. That leaves those don't mind what is happening in Calif. and they will continue to vote for what our politicians are doing. If you voted for these, then don't complain. And, who is going to make up for the loss of taxes when large businesses were driven out of Calif.? \

No, I am not off topic. There is a reason why we do not use our cars the way we intended. I am not happy having to pay higher insurance for my home and my car setting aside the high inflation. And the curse causeless does not come. We can thank the same ones for that also. Forget that, sorry it is off topic.

I love my car even though I can't charge it any more. I don't see any changes coming in Calif because again my friends are gone.

 

I use my car exactly as intended, and live in Calif.

 

I hate how PG&E was neglegent in maintaining their equipment and is now pushing the cost of their liability to their constomers with insane electricity rates. However, less than 10% of the electricity imported from out of state is from coal according to the California Energy Commission data. Most of it is from natural gas. The majority of electricity in California is from solar, batteries and natural gas. You can go to Today's Outlook | Supply | California ISO and see the mix of elricity sources in real time. See screenshot below for the enery supply today. The green is renewables, which is almost all solar.