Data published by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center show that a gallon of gasoline has been more expensive than the equivalent amount of electricity used in transporting a vehicle since at least 2000. As of April, 2018, the DOE data suggest that on average in the U.S. it is more than twice as expensive to drive a mile in a gasoline-powered car than an electric one. Not only is cheaper to drive an electric vehicle, but it’s also easier to fill up. Around the turn of the millennium, there were 558 electric fueling stations in the US. As of the time of this writing there are now 52,205 EV charging stations across the U.S. – an increase of more than 9,000%! Not only is it cheaper and easier to drive an EV than ever before, but it’s also much lower in carbon emissions. A meta-analysis performed by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions suggests that EVs emit less than half of the greenhouse gas emissions of a conventional gasoline vehicle. So consider the economic and environmental benefits of an EV next you find yourself in the market for a new vehicle.
The stats from this week’s fact were all discovered via the Maps and Data portal on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center website. Check out their site for tons more visualizations and interesting facts on alternative fuels and their impact on the environment.