Antique & Classic Cars Blog
Electric Car Update
Saturday, July 19th, 2008The hard copy paper today has some stats on electric cars, particularly the Zenn, which we discussed here several months ago. They reveal operating costs, for anyone considering options to pump gas.
The piece mentions a St. Paul resident who drives a Zenn 700 miles a month, which costs him $20 in electricity. The article, by Neal St. Anthony, also puts the Zenn’s cost at $17,500, plus $1500 worth of new batteries every three years.
So, ignoring consumables like tires, brake pads and wiper blades, the Zenn costs the described owner about $740 per year to run for 8,400 miles (12 x $20 + $500/year in battery use).** A gas vehicle averaging 20 miles per gallon would need $1680 in gas at $4/gallon, to cover the same mileage.
The Zenn is cheaper to insure than a typical car, but has a range, according to the article, of about 35 miles. It is thus not a full substitute for a regular vehicle, but a partial one.
**The article indicates that the owner of the Zenn vehicle delivering these figures “tops off” his battery while he’s parked at work. The piece does not clarify whether that electricity figures into the $20/month. If it does not, drivers whose employers don’t have a free electrical hookup will have to pay more. Note too that these vehicles are for use on roads with a speed limit of 35 or less, according to the piece.
3 Responses to "Electric Car Update"
Any analysis of the costs of an electric car that failes to mention its
battery pack was obviously carried out by an electric car manufacturer. The batteries are worn out by driving the car and should be considered the same as fuel. A typical electric car can have from 30% (Tesla - $30,000 battery pack/five years lifespan), to 50% (Mitsubiushi IMev - $20,000 battery pack,lifespan 5 years). Failure to disclose such data constitutes fraud.
Any company that fails to mention the inevitable and preditable future costs due to battery replacement is liable to a big lawsuit for consumer fraud. Now, do you want to do some reasearch that is realistic and truthful, or are you an accessory to fraud?
Thanks for your thoughts, Kerry.
My post, which is simply a reference to a newspaper article, discusses costs for the Zenn vehicle, and expressly attributes the majority of this vehicle’s operating cost to battery expense. (See paragraph two, above.) Specifically, the article I refer to said $1500 for three years, or, as I broke it out, $500 per year–more than twice what the vehicle owner reported to be his off-the-grid cost.
Are you saying the Zenn uses some additional battery I haven’t addressed? If so, please share a link or something so we can all get our facts right and have a good discussion.
If your point is that some other electric cars cost a lot more to operate, that would be fun to discuss too–that’s why we’re here. :^)
Can you share some links to your sources so we’re all discussing the same claims and information? Thanks for joining in.
I’ve now linked to the prior post, in the comments to which readers had some insightful comments about the Zenn’s efficiency and abilities.
Please leave a comment
MotorMouth Kris Palmer, freelance auto writer and editor, blogs about vintage cars, the collectible auto scene and just about anything else that goes vroom.
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