fuel cost

  • Charging station and gas pump

    Electric cars still cost significantly more to buy than gasoline-powered vehicles of the same size and capabilities. But cars that plug in are almost always cheaper to run per mile, often by a significant multiple. A study released Thursday has quantified those differences, comparing the cost-per-mile of gasoline versus electricity in different states. DON'T MISS: Buyers still think used electric cars cost more than gas cars; they're wrong Using state-by-state electricity-cost data from October and gas prices from late December, Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of...

  • Tesla Semi
    If electric semi tractors are real, their running-cost advantage could be huge

    Emotions play a big role in purchases of passenger vehicles, but fleet decisions are generally driven by numbers, spreadsheets, and the almighty dollar. And it's in the equation of overall cost where early adopters of electric and other alternative-fuel semis could make a financial killing. Haulers...

  • 2006 Toyota Prius and 2015 Nissan Leaf  [photo: John C. Briggs]
    Nissan Leaf electric vs Toyota Prius hybrid: which is lower on cost, emissions?

    Sometimes, when tucking in for the evening, you can't help but wonder: did I really make the right choice? Could I have done better? Even now, could I still do better? This is the question I ask myself, each evening, when I park my 2015 Nissan Leaf in the garage next to my wife’s 2006 Toyota...

  • Gas pump
    New Metric For Car Efficiency: Miles Per Dollar Spent On Energy?

    It's downright confusing trying to calculate how much it costs to run green cars, whether it's a 50-mpg Toyota Prius or a highly efficient electric car like the 124-MPGe BMW i3. One of the problems is how to use different efficiency ratings for various powertrains--gasoline, hybrid, electric--to...

  • National Plug-In Day 2012: San Francisco, with 60 Nissan Leafs in front of the Golden Gate Bridge
    California Urged To Stay The Course On Electric Cars, Help Owners Charge Cheaper

    Gas prices are falling: Michigan has signs advertising regular at $1.99 per gallon. It's now below $3 a gallon even in California, which continues to be the focal point for electric-car adoption. Now an electric utility CEO has joined with an environmental advocate to urge that Californians stay...

  • Oil well (photo by John Hill)
    Gas Prices To Plunge More After Oil Price Falls To 4-Year Low?

    Oil prices are at their lowest levels in four years, and retail gasoline prices are likely to follow--more or less. Thursday, while the U.S. celebrated its Thanksgiving holiday, oil prices fell 7 percent after OPEC announced it would leave production levels unchanged, according to CNN. The price of...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S in winter, Hudson Valley, NY  [photo: David Noland]

    I always knew electric cars were cheap to run, but this is ridiculous. After I bought the first set of replacement tires for my 2013 Tesla Model S (at 26,000 miles), I crunched the numbers and came to a startling conclusion: I've spent substantially less per mile for my electric "fuel" than I have for my tires. DON'T MISS: Life With Tesla Model S: At Last, Some Maintenance Needed (New Tires) The tires weren't cheap. The Michelin Primacy MXM4 all-season grand-touring tires set me back $250 apiece, plus mounting and balancing, for a total of $1,131. Over 26,277 miles, that works out to 4.3...

  • Gas pump
    Gasoline Prices Continue To Fall, Almost At Four-Year Low: Report

    A new report finds gas prices are as low as they've been in four years.

  • 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell at hydrogen fueling station, Fountain Valley, CA
    Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars: $50 For 300 Miles--Or Free To Fill Up?

    Electric cars are far cheaper to run than gasoline cars on a per-mile basis--and depending on the assumptions, they can be cheaper over their entire life too. And gasoline and diesel vehicles will get steadily more fuel-efficient through 2025 under a variety of global regulations. But what about...

  • 2013 Nissan Leaf
    Where Do U.S. Electric Cars Save Money The Quickest?

    Indiana drivers get the quickest returns on electric-car purchases, a new study says.

  • Gas pump
    Will Your Local Gas Prices Rise or Fall? Fuelcaster Knows (It Says)

    A free app from Esurance claims to predict future gas prices.

  • Gas pump
    Five MORE Big Myths About Green Cars And Gas Mileage, Debunked

    Yep, Big Oil is definitely scheming and plotting to destroy the electric car. Everyone knows that. Right? [sigh] Time for more mythbusting, it seems. The surprising success of our first debunking of five green-car myths led us to look at five more relatively common ideas and explain ... well, as...

  • Automatic Link device connects to cars' OBD-II ports to gather data for an iPhone app

    Last month, Apple Stores in the United States began stocking the Automatic Link. And it might just point the way toward how to convince more car buyers that a plug-in electric car--or other alternatives, from hybrid to diesel to natural gas, for that matter--could make economic sense. The Automatic Link is a $99 device that connects to a car's OBD-II data port and feeds selected information to an app on the owner's iPhone, which becomes a "smart driving assistant" with a focus on fuel efficiency. Developed by Bay Area startup Automatic, the product monitors and summarizes the driver's routes...

  • Gas gauge
    Five Things To Know About Gas Mileage That Will Save You Money

    Gas mileage has gotten far more important in new-car choices over the last 10 years, and that's not likely to change. But not everyone really understands automobile efficiency--or how to maximize their mileage--and which tactics will really save them money. Here's our cheat sheet. (1) Your driving...

  • The U.S. Department of Energy's 'eGallon' calculator
    Energy Department Launches 'eGallon' To Explain Electric-Car Cost, Efficiency

    It isn't easy to compare gasoline and electric vehicles. Sure, you can look at EPA stickers, sit in them and appreciate the way they drive, but comparing like-for-like on an economic basis is requires some thought. The U.S. Department of Energy has simplified the process with its new eGallon...

  • Gasoline prices in California, August 2012 [photo: Brenda Priddy]
    Will Refinery Fire Cause Gas Prices To Soar In California?

    A fire yesterday evening in a refinery critical to providing special California gasoline blends may boost gas prices in the state substantially. The blaze, first observed around 6:15 pm and brought under control five hours later, occurred in the Richmond refinery owned by Chevron [NYSE:CVX]. The...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - production model
    Payback On Plug-Ins: Finance Commentator Misses The Point

    We love data, and articles that analyze data. We love them a little less when their opening lines sneer at sites like this one by calling them the "sunshine, lollipops and rainbows electric car press." Still, there are far more interesting problems with a recent analysis on Seeking Alpha entitled...

  • Ford fuel cost and emissions calculator and comparison tool, for fleet use - output screen
    Ford Offers Fleet Buyers Tool To Compare Total Emissions & Costs

    Fleet managers are very, very rational people. Unlike many retail car buyers, they analyze vehicles without a shred of emotion, basing their decisions on lifetime ownership costs for vehicles that meet their needs. More and more, though, those fleet buyers are being asked to help reduce their...

  • Gas pump

    Over the past week or so, we’ve seen the average price of gasoline hit $3.60 per gallon of regular, with some areas of the country -- like California -- reaching a heady $4 a gallon. But while the Syrian uprising and political tensions between Iran and the West over its nuclear program are playing a small part in increasing the price you pay at the pump, energy specialists say the biggest culprit lies closer to home. In short, the U.S. isn’t refining as much gasoline as it once was. During Wednesday’s All Things Considered on NPR, Fadel Gheit, senior energy analyst at...

  • Gas Car Vs Solar Powered Electric Car Costs: 50 Years
    Drive a Solar-Charged Electric Car, Save $263,000 On Fuel Over 50 Years?

    Critics of plug-in cars like the 2012 Nissan Leaf and 2012 Mitsubishi i often say their high sticker prices are just too expensive to make a sound economic case for making the switch from gasoline to electric. Not so, says electric car advocate and BMW ActiveE driver Peder Norby. In fact, Norby...

  • Gas pump
    How Much Did The Average American Household Spend On Gas This Year?

    Filling your tank in the average car these days often runs north of $50, and for full-size pickup trucks, it can be a multiple of that number. But how much do you spend on gasoline a year? Do you actually know? Sure, you can back-figure: Divide the mileage covered for the year by each of your...

  • Alaska
    $9 A Gallon Too Much For Gas This Winter? Avoid Nome, Alaska

    The rising cost of gas is one of life's inevitabilities, though how quickly the price rises depends on where you live. If you live in Nome, Alaska, then you're in for an inevitable and very expensive winter. According to Yahoo (via AutoBlogGreen), you could soon be paying $9 for every gallon of...

  • Gas pump
    Gas Prices Fall To $3.50 As Economic Stall Slams Crude-Oil Costs

    Remember $4 gasoline? It was just last May that gasoline soared to an average price of $4 per gallon across all U.S. markets, with even the cheapest pumps showing prices of $3.50 or more. What a difference a few months makes. Gasoline has now fallen below $3 a gallon in a handful of areas...

  • Infographic: 'What's Driving Gas Prices' from One Block Off the Grid
    Infographic: What's Behind The Gas Prices You Pay At The Pump?

    We've said it before, and we'll likely say it again: We love a good infographic (here, here, and here, for instance). Today's example covers what makes up the price of each gallon of gasoline that you buy. Not surprisingly, it includes the cost of the actual refined hydrocarbon that originated as...

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