CLICK Download the complete high-efficiency cars spreadsheet, and tailor it by adding your car or updated fuel prices: solartoday.org/transportation
12kmile 12k 10yr 12k 12k CO2 CO2
E-mode fuelcost cost CO2 fuel per per
carbon kWh fuelplus lb cost mile mile
footprint Gasoline purchase bio bio bio fossil
50% coal Diesel per mile fuel fuel lb lb*
Copyright © 2010 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.
0.28 0.21
0.28 0.21
0.28 0.21
0.30 0.21
0.36 0.21
0.94 0.21
0.94 0.21
801 0.20 396 680 0.44
549 0.04 190 0.30
1,107 0.02 383 0.56
1,163 0.04 403 0.63
746 0.14 258 0.43
928 0.10 321 876 0.03 0.48
1,107 0.10 383 1,045 0.03 0.56
1,056 0.10 366 997 0.03 0.54
1,144 0.11 396 1,080 0.03 0.58
1,090 0.11 377 1,029 0.03 0.54
1,144 0.12 396 1,080 0.03 0.59
1,144 0.12 396 1,080 0.03 0.59
1,183 0.13 410 1,117 0.03 0.59
1,183 0.14 410 1,117 0.03 0.58
1,163 0.15 366 997 0.03 0.53
1,001 0.18 335 1,351 0.03 0.55
1,001 0.19 335 1,351 0.03 0.55
987 0.26 330 1,332 0.03 0.53
1,320 0.27 457 1,246 0.04 0.63
makes the relatively heavy seven-passenger Toyota Highlander SUV look pretty good.
Drive categories include rear-wheel drive
(RWD), front-wheel drive (FWD), full-time
all-wheel drive (AWD) and on-demand four-wheel drive (4WD). 2/4WD means the standard mode is RWD or FWD but 4WD is an
available option.
HP combined is the combined horsepower of
the piston engine and any electric drive motor.
Drive type is the technology of the prime
mover. IC indicates a normally aspirated (
non-turbo) internal combustion engine using gasoline,
compressed natural gas or ethanol fuel. Tdiesel is
a diesel engine with a turbocharger, able to run
on diesel or biodiesel. Hybrid uses an IC engine
assisted by an electric motor. PHEV is a plug-in
hybrid, able to run an initial distance on battery
power alone — for instance, a PHEV40 can run
approximately 40 miles before the IC engine
needs to charge the batteries. EV is a pure electric
vehicle, and EV100 means it has the battery capacity to run approximately 100 miles on a charge.
Fuel types include gas, for cars that run on
gasoline. Flex means the car is equipped to use
either gasoline or an ethanol blend (but note
that all modern gasoline cars can be cheaply
modified to run on ethanol). D means diesel,
and these cars can also run on biodiesel. CNG is
compressed natural gas. Li represents lithium-ion batteries, and NiMH indicates nickel-metal
hydride batteries.
12k mile CO2 direct is the approximate
mass of carbon dioxide straight out of the tailpipe in a typical 12,000-mile year of driving,
given in pounds.
12k mile E-mode 100% coal applies to EVs
and PHEVs. It estimates the pounds of carbon
emitted in charging the vehicle for a 12,000-mile
year of electric-powered driving if your electric
utility uses coal-burning generation exclusively.
Note that, if this is the case, your EV may produce a bigger carbon footprint than some modern high-efficiency hybrids.
12k mile E-mode 50% coal estimates the
pounds of carbon emitted in charging an EV or
PHEV for 12,000 miles of electric-powered driving if your electric utility uses coal-burning generation for half its delivered electric power. There
is no column for carbon emissions where electricity is provided from carbon-free sources. In
that situation, direct carbon emission is zero.
12k mile fuel cost is the approximate cost
of fuel for driving 12,000 miles, assuming that
2,569
2,569
2,569
2,569
2,569
2,569
2,569
2,055
Out-of-the-Box Car Buying
Without the internal combustion
engine, most electric vehicles (EVs)
are mechanically simple. They don’t
need engine oil changes or tune-ups.
Replacement parts are windshield
washer fluid, brake pads, tires and, after
eight or 10 years, the battery pack. The
real complexity is in the electronics. So
why not sell EVs through electronics
stores? That’s exactly what Best Buy was
thinking when the chain began selling
electric bikes and scooters last year. In
April, the Wall Street Journal reported
Best Buy may sell the Mitsubishi i-MIEV.
That may launch a new distribution
pattern for EVs, in which they’re sold
and serviced like home appliances.
2,055
2,055
2,055
176
827
693
808
928
172
1,248
891
1,125
1,024
1,009
1,144
176
176
1,320
1,525
0.21
0.17
0.19
0.20
0.19
0.27
0.19
0.23
0.21
0.22
0.22
0.21
0.33
0.33
0.28
0.29
61
286
240
280
321
60
432
309
390
355
349
396
61
61
457
528
166 0.01
781 0.02
655 0.02
762 0.02
876 0.03
163 0.00
1,178 0.04
842 0.03
1,062 0.03
967 0.03
953 0.03
1,080 0.03
166 0.01
166 0.01
1,246 0.04
1,440 0.04
0.49
0.45
0.41
0.43
0.51
0.41
0.59
0.54
0.56
0.58
0.59
0.58
0.49
0.49
0.78
0.78
578 0.02
1,045 0.03
1,098 0.03
704 0.02
electricity for charging an EV costs 11. 64 cents
per kilowatt-hour, gasoline is $2.86 per gallon,
compressed natural gas is $2.00 per gallon-equivalent (GGA) and diesel runs $2.96 per
gallon. These were current prices in April, when
the chart was assembled. Prices are expected to
rise over time.
10-year cost is the cost per mile to operate
the vehicle, combining purchase cost and fuel
costs for 12,000 miles per year at today’s prices.
This figure does not include taxes, rebates, insurance or maintenance costs, which vary locally
and over time. Note that maintenance costs
should be lower for a pure electric vehicle, which
needs no regular oil and filter changes, but that
battery replacement may be an expensive item
after eight or 10 years.
12k CO2 lb bio fuel approximates the
pounds of CO2 emitted if a diesel vehicle operates on B100 (pure vegetable oil) or a gas/flex-fuel vehicle operates on E85 ethanol.
12k fuel cost bio fuel approximates the fuel
cost to operate a diesel vehicle on B100, at $3.33
per gallon or a flex-fuel vehicle on E85, at $2.25
per gallon (spring 2010 prices).
CO2 per mile bio approximates the pounds
of CO2 emitted per mile when burning B100
or E85.
CO2 per mile fossil approximates the
pounds of CO2 emitted per mile when burning
petroleum fuel or charging from a coal-burning
electricity source. ST
