WASHINGTON (June 13, 2013) — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched "eGallon," a website to compare fuel prices for electric- vs. gasoline-powered vehicles.
The "eGallon" Web page offers a quick, state-by-state calculation of the comparative costs of a gallon of gasoline vs. the equivalent amount of electricity expenditure for an electric vehicle (EV).
The website is based on a metric that provides an easy price comparison between electricity and gasoline, the agency said. According to the national average, an electric car can travel as far on $1.14 worth of electricity as a gasoline-powered vehicle can on one gallon of gasoline, it said.
The site opens with some frequently asked questions such as: "Did you know? On average, it costs about three times less to drive an electric vehicle."
As of June 12, for instance, an "eGallon" of electricity cost Virginia motorists an average of $1.04, as compared with $3.41 for a gallon of gas, according to the calculator on the website. For Ohio motorists, the comparison was $1.12 for an eGallon as opposed to $3.86 for a gallon of gas.
The DOE states on the site that "if you chart the price of gasoline and the eGallon price over time, you'll notice something else. Gasoline prices often spike up and down erratically because they're linked to international oil markets. Events half a world away can drive up the price we pay at the pump. High prices and uncertainty are a heavy burden for American consumers.
"On the other hand, the cost of electricity is regional and much more stable, so you generally don't have to worry about the wild gyrations seen in gas prices."
According to the website, the eGallon price "arms consumers with a little bit more information to compare the costs of driving an electric car to the cost of gasoline, but it doesn't measure some of the other benefits of driving on electricity.
"There are significant environmental benefits—particularly as the share of electricity that comes from clean and renewable energy increases—as well as benefits for America's energy security.
"Instead of spending $1 billion a day on foreign oil, with electric vehicles and other technologies we can power our cars, homes and businesses with American energy."