Price of Fuel

[Vulcan]

I’ve just seen this on FB. I know some folks home charging are paying 4p to 5p a mile so this seems a really good deal.
I’m currently paying over 16p a mile for my petrol car and it’s hardly a gas guzzler.

 

[Vulcan]

Too small for me but might do as a second car. Not sure what $11,000 looks like once it gets here but still cheap I expect?

 

[Fitzroy]

Likely an overnight tariff, what used to be economy 7, is that still a thing? When electric demand is low pushing the excess into batteries is a great solution for the providers.

 

[niemeyjt]

And what car is used for the analysis - A Tesla or a Citroen Ami?

 

[gcusick]

I am on that Octopus tariff, and their numbers are right. In general, EVs will return about 4 miles per kWh - my small VW e-UP! does 5-6. The Octopus tariff provides 6 hours overnight at 7p/kWh, and also schedules charging at other times using a smart charger at the same rate. So it really does equate to 2p per mile.

And, of course, you can use the 7p/kWh overnight rate for other purposes - dishwasher, washing machine - or to recharge our solar power battery.

No connection (sorry - pun just happened) with Octopus, other than as a customer.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I am on that Octopus tariff, and their numbers are right. In general, EVs will return about 4 miles per kWh - my small VW e-UP! does 5-6. The Octopus tariff provides 6 hours overnight at 7p/kWh, and also schedules charging at other times using a smart charger at the same rate. So it really does equate to 2p per mile.

And, of course, you can use the 7p/kWh overnight rate for other purposes - dishwasher, washing machine - or to recharge our solar power battery.

No connection (sorry - pun just happened) with Octopus, other than as a customer.

They do have good power plans for EV. They also have a salary sacrifice scheme for EV lease but that is not such a good deal. It worked out more, net, for me than using the OEM’s own plan.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Green energy output will be largely similar day or night bar the fairly small amount generated by solar - 5% of total power over the last year.

As more folk buy EV I suspect the cheap night rate will slowly disappear. At some point it may become commonplace to charge batteries at time of surplus supply and feed it back into the grid at a higher price to meet peak demand.

At a guess the benefit will will last another 3-5 years before the difference between day and night rates is eroded.

 

[Sideways]

Charging and discharging a battery has a very real cost in wear and tear on it. Think 8 to 12p/ kWh.
This idea of filling a battery at cheap rate and selling the power back at peak isn't a great moneymaking opportunity for most. The energy companies generally don't pay you anywhere near 25p/kWh that they'll happily charge you. 15-18p are good rates. You need access to a very cheap (ie EV) tarriff, and a situation where you're not paying the true cost of depreciation on your battery (like maybe a fixed term lease on an EV) so you can hammer a few hundred extra cycles through it without it costing you any extra.
Like that you can make a little on the side but don't give up the day job...

 

[Vulcan]

At a guess the benefit will will last another 3-5 years before the difference between day and night rates is eroded.

I can’t see EV take up being that quick to effect electricity bills within that time scale. Eventually though. At least for those not lucky enough to have battery storage and solar panels.

 

[niall Y]

Once people have been weaned off cars running on fossil fuels , the government will make their move to bill for road use, to make up for their loss of revenue via fuel duty. Then the cost of recharging however cheap , will only be one of the price components of mileage travelled. So EV owners should enjoy cheaper fuel costs while they still can.

 

[John Brown]

Once people have been weaned off cars running on fossil fuels , the government will make their move to bill for road use, to make up for their loss of revenue via fuel duty. Then the cost of recharging however cheap , will only be one of the price components of mileage travelled. So EV owners should enjoy cheaper fuel costs while they still can.

Would charging for road use not be a fairer system?

 

[TRITON]

We all know whats going to happen.

The second enough people own EV's, the price of electricity packages for home charging will skyrocket.

Same thing happened with diesel. for decades diesel was always cheaper than petrol. Then the government pushed people to buy diesel vehicles, and when enough were on the roads, the price of that fuel surpassed that of petrol.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Once people have been weaned off cars running on fossil fuels , the government will make their move to bill for road use, to make up for their loss of revenue via fuel duty. Then the cost of recharging however cheap , will only be one of the price components of mileage travelled. So EV owners should enjoy cheaper fuel costs while they still can.

I agree. Pay for use is likely coming. However I see that as a good thing.

 

[treeturner123]

As long as we can claim reductions for pot holes in roads.

Oh, that may mean in Gloucestershire (and a good many other counties), we would be paid to drive; there being so many!

Phil.

 

[paulrbarnard]

As long as we can claim reductions for pot holes in roads.

Oh, that may mean in Gloucestershire (and a good many other counties), we would be paid to drive; there being so many!

Phil.

Perhaps if the usage cost is high enough the pot holes will get filled.

 

[treeturner123]

Perhaps if the usage cost is high enough the pot holes will get filled.

There must be a lot of pigs flying around Shepton!!

Just near us GCC filled in some pot holes on a very bad section but left others unfilled!!!

 

[paulrbarnard]

There must be a lot of pigs flying around Shepton!!

Just near us GCC filled in some pot holes on a very bad section but left others unfilled!!!

Nope they are all wallowing in the pot holes.

EV and pay per use is interesting though. Fuel is about 15p per mile. Fuel tax is currently 52p per lt which is about 5p per mile. So the actual fuel cost per mile is about 10p The octopus charging at 2p per mile would enable a road use fee of 13p per mile to cost the same as petrol. So EV plus road charging at 10p per mile would cost the road user less and generate twice the tax income. And the big plus I see is that bigger users pay more.

 

[niemeyjt]

PPM could be an issue when cars are sent on a massive diversion due to road works.

 

[Vulcan]

PPM could be an issue when cars are sent on a massive diversion due to road works.

That hasn’t happened to me for Donkeys years. And I’d hardly have called it massive!

 

[Spectric]

I agree. Pay for use is likely coming. However I see that as a good thing.

The ULEZ system is already capable of implementing that so it is probably just round the corner. For somewhere like London with it's underground trains then maybe just having a lot of busy areas like Oxford street pedestrianised would help with both tourism and pollution with all deliveries made out of hours.