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Which is cheaper to fuel, a gasoline car or an EV? Washington Post takes a deep dive

Which is cheaper to fuel, a gasoline car or an EV? Washington Post takes a deep dive



Red or black? Draw or stand pat? Electric or gasoline?

So many choices. To ease some of the mental strain that may afflict new car buyers, The Washington Post has a piece titled “Is it cheaper to refuel your EV battery or gas tank? We did the math in all 50 states.” A long title, and a long piece filled with useful information.

It takes hundreds of words to explain the challenges posed by the choices. The piece is filled with facts, and author Michael Coren — he’s identified as the Post's “climate advice columnist” — also offers some opinion.

We’ll cut to the chase, which we found deep in the piece. Coren asserts, “We may never agree on what it costs to refuel an electric vehicle.”

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Then he continues, “That may not matter. For the everyday driver in the United States, it’s already cheaper to refuel an EV most of the time, and it’s expected to get cheaper as renewable capacity expands and vehicle efficiency improves.”

Coren embarks on a couple of hypothetical road trips to make his case about whether it costs more to recharge or refuel this summer. He notes average prices of a gallon of gas, but measuring electricity is more “tricky … rates not only vary by state, but by the time of day and even the outlet. EV owners may plug in at home or work and then pay a premium to fast-charge on the road.’