According to a British study conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, the cost of owning and using an electric car is already lower than that of an equivalent gasoline or diesel car. The conditions are right for the next decade to see the transition to the electric car begin for good.
Today, owning an electric car is more advantageous than owning a gasoline or diesel car. Researchers at the University of Leeds (UK) have established this by conducting a study in three countries: United States, United Kingdom and Japan. Their work covered the period 1997-2015 to compare the total cost of ownership between a thermal engine car, an electric car and a hybrid. The results of this study were published in Applied Energy.
The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is calculated by taking into account the following factors:
- purchase price of the vehicle;
- haircut rate;
- year of acquisition;
- annual fuel price;
- annual mileage;
- yield;
- annual maintenance cost;
- insurance and taxes;
subsidies and rebates granted by the State and / or the builder.
Electricity being cheaper than gasoline or diesel, electric cars have a lower cost of use. The other key point is the cost of maintaining an electric car, which is lower than that of a conventional motor car. With no gearbox, clutch, exhaust and timing belt, the electric car has fewer moving parts that wear out. On the other hand, the powerful electric motor brake helps to reduce wafer wear and, as a result, the cost of maintenance. According to researchers at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom in 2015, the annual cost of an electric car was already 10% lower than that of a gasoline or diesel car.
Subsidies play a determining role
But it is a crucial point that still strongly determines the adoption of electric propulsion: aid for purchase in the form of state subsidies. Indeed, located between 25,000 and 30,000 euros, the average price of a new electric car is still significantly higher than that of its equivalent engine. In the United Kingdom, subsidies for the purchase of an electric car amount to 4,500 pounds sterling (about 5,100 euros at the current rate). This amount is about 7,300 euros in the United States and Japan, says the study. France is the European champion of aid for the purchase of an electric vehicle with an ecological bonus of 6,300 euros which can be transformed into super-bonuses of 10,000 euros if taken from an old gasoline or diesel vehicle.
But what will happen when these support policies dry up? Based on an increase in production that will lower the average price, researchers estimate that in 2025, the cost of owning and using an electric car like the Nissan Leaf purchased without subsidies will be equivalent to that of a petrol car. This shift will be under the influence of China, which is now the world's largest market for electric vehicles.
Confronted with major environmental problems, the former Middle Kingdom is committed to forced march on this path. The government has decided that renewable energy vehicles should account for 12% of annual sales by 2020. Chinese automakers such as BYD, Geely and Beijing Automotive will become electric car giants and they will help drive down prices . This impetus is accompanied by major investments in the creation of a network of charging stations.
The next decade will likely see the beginning of the transition to all-electric. Several countries have already committed to stopping the sale of petrol and diesel cars at different times: 2025 in Norway, 2030 in India, 2040 in France and the United Kingdom. It remains to be seen how states will seek to offset the loss of fuel tax revenues. Higher taxation of electric cars is more than likely.
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