According to a study conducted by the Swiss Touring Club, electric cars cost less to use than thermal models. And this even if the purchase price is higher and the price of electricity increases.
Source : Ulrich Rozier pour Aroged
Right now, electric cars are on the rise, so much so that they even overtake diesels in terms of sales in France. A market dominated by affordable models such as the Dacia Spring and the Peugeot e-208 as well as the Tesla Model 3, now eligible for the ecological bonus. However, the price is still a barrier for many motorists.
An interesting cost
Indeed, we are still far from parity with equivalent thermal models, even if the fall in the price of lithium could lead to a small drop in prices. In the meantime, some manufacturers such as Renault or Ford recommend reducing the size of batteries to offer cheaper cars. But if the purchase price is an important criterion, it should not be the only one to be taken into account.
This is indeed proven by a study conducted by the Swiss Touring Club (TCS), which looked at the operating costs (TCO in English for Total Cost of Ownership) of electric cars throughout their lifespan. And here things are a bit different, because many parameters have to be taken into consideration, like fuel price and consumption.
The Peugeot e-208
The TCS therefore wanted compare the running costs (TCO) of five thermal and electric cars among the most sold in Switzerland during the year 2022. For this, the organization calculated the total expenditure over a lifespan of 10 years for mileages of 75,000, 150,000 and 300,000 kilometers. The cost of electricity, currently displayed at 0.27 francs (0.22 euro) per kWh in Switzerland, has also been taken into account, as has that of gasoline. The liter is charged 1.78 francs (1.73 euros) on average.
Figures that are obviously a little different from ours, since the kW fluctuates between 0.16 and 0.48 euro in France depending on the different operators. While the unleaded 95 E10 is currently displayed at 1.89 euros per litre. But the TCS data still gives us a small idea of the savings made by opting for an electric car.
Real savings over the long term
By taking fuel consumption into account only, we immediately notice that thermal vehicles are not that interesting, despite a slightly lower purchase price than for electric vehicles. The most telling example is that of the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, displayed from 52,800 francs (48,200 euros in France).
After 10 years and 300,000 kilometres, an owner will have spent 44,860 francs on fuel (about 45,139 euros). The Tesla Model 3, on the other hand, is the car that ultimately costs the least to use, with only 11,908 francs spent on charging, or the equivalent of 11,982 euros. The TCS, however, did not specify what type of charge was taken into account, especially since the price goes from simple to double according to the operators, such as Lidl on Ionity in France.
Martin Meiners
For memory, the electric sedan starts from 44,990 euros, which makes it eligible for the ecological bonus. The TCS report tells us that driving a Volkswagen ID.3 saves around 8,000 francs compared to a petrol Golf, although the thermal compact costs around 5,000 francs less in Switzerland.
A result achieved with a mileage of 150,000 kilometres, which proves thatyou have to keep your car for a few years for it to really become profitable. This conclusion should be similar in France, despite the rise in the price of electricity.
Especially since the government has set up a price shield to limit the price of charging at home as well as at fast terminals. If the Swiss organization mainly takes into account the cost of fuel in its study, a previous report by France Strategy came to a similar conclusion. It also counted themaintenance costs as well as government aid.
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