Plug-In Hybrids & All-Electric Cars Can Get the Job Done

Most plug-in cars today are plug-in hybrids, whose drivers have no range limitations at all. If you want one car to do it all, a plug-in hybrid like the Chevy Volt, Toyota Plug-in Prius, Honda Accord Plug-in, Ford Fusion Energi, or Ford C-Max Energi, is a great option. For daily driving needs, you can drive on electricity at a price that’s equivalent to driving on buck-a-gallon gasoline, and after you’ve gone beyond the all-electric range, the car operates as an efficient gasoline hybrid.

Most all-electrics, such as the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus EV, Mitsubishi-i, BMW Active-E, Fiat 500 EV, Coda, Chevy Spark EV, or Honda Fit EV, have ranges between 60 and 100 miles. Most households in America have multiple vehicles. An all-electric is perfect for the daily commuter, providing significant savings relative to gasoline and the convenience of refueling at home.

The all-electric Telsa Model S (above),  comes in packages that offer EPA certified ranges between 208 and 265 miles.

The chart below contrasts the historical and forecasted prices of U.S. gasoline and residential electricity in dollars per gallon equivalent, adjusted for inflation.

*Equivalent price for a 27 mile-per-gallon conventional vehicle and a plug-in electric vehicle with 0.34 kilowatt-hour-per-mile efficiency. Data source: Energy Information Administration.

(NRDC Switchboard, 2/16/2013, 12/21/2012)