Fuel efficiency is back in the news

Oil prices are in the risk of surging, much to the middle east conflict sparking up in early October, and its aftermaths, with some analysts expecting a record high of $150 if the conflict further escalates beyond the current scope.

And oil prices make a huge difference in a car’s maintenance costs, and refuels (no pun intended) the desire to move away from petrol-run cars into EVs. 

The most fuel efficient cars 

When talking about fuel efficiency, the bottom line is comparing how much output you get for a given input. With cars, this is how far you can drive (output) given 1 unit of input, be it a litre of diesel or watt-hour of electricity. By using MNY Australia, we can compare the stats between car models and figure out which ones offer good value for money, but we will need to use litres and kilometres for consistency.

Efficiency and cost of fuel Cars

It takes around 10 litres of fuel to drive a Porsche 911 around 100km, whilst it takes an Audi A3 just under 5. These are the two ends of the spectrum, with 6 to 7 L/100km being around average. Some cars in this range include BMW 1 series, Mazda 3, Kia Sportage, MINI Cooper, and Kia Stonic.

At roughly $1 per litre of petrol in the US (US dollars), this means that the cost of driving 100km in a typical, efficient fuel car is around $7 in the US.

Efficiency and cost of electric vehicles 

The Hyundai Ioniq is the most efficient EV, at 117 Wh/km, with the Porsche Taycan being the least efficient at over 280 Wh/km. 180 Wh/km is roughly the median among all EVs, with the likes of the Nissan Leaf, Cupra Born, BMW x1, and the Mercedes-Benz EQB all siting around this range.

So, how do we compare this to fuel cars? How do we compare efficiencies? For one, electric may be free for US homeowners with an existing solar set-up. If they are looking to charge from the grid, then the cost will depend on the state, the time of day, the provider, among other factors. 

Deals of 15c per kWh can typically be found in Ohio, which is fairly average for the US. For a 100km drive in a Hyundai Ioniq, this will consume 11.7 kWh, which comes to around $1.76. For a typical EV with an 180 Wh/km, it would cost around $2.70. So, under half the price of driving the petrol equivalent, and that’s despite the US’s very cheap gas prices compared to Europe and Australia.

For a Californian, which is the second most expensive state and typically charged around 30c per kWh, a typical 100km drive would cost around $5.40. So, a Tesla in California may still have lower ongoing costs, though the initial investment also needs to be considered here.

Final Word

There are a lot of insights to draw from assessing EVs and our energy usage; it’s something that more Americans are getting interested in since geopolitical tensions have risen and climate disasters hot up. MNY Australia made a comprehensive tool for fuel consumption per car and model, making it easy to help decide which cars can save you money in the long run. Whilst nobody is questioning the long-term movement towards green energy, it’s important to know if the timing is right for your situation.