How much a mile of range costs in an EV based on MSRP

"MojoMotors.com" (MojoMotors)
09/04/2014 at 09:40 • Filed to: ev, tesla, electric car, infographic

There were some pretty good discussions on whether !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was actually worth it. We wanted to take a slightly different approach with EVs. We created a metric to analyze the exact Cost Per Mile of Range (CPMR). This number is calculated by taking the MSRP of an electric car sold in the United States (2014 model year) and dividing it by the range on a single charge. Please note, we did not take state or federal tax credits into consideration for our analysis.

This analysis just further proves the Tesla Model S is an amazing vehicle. Even with a starting price of $79,900 (85kWh) it has the best CPMR of the whole group at $302. The Chevy Spark EV came in second place with a starting price of $26,685 and a fantastic CPMR of $325. The Model S with a 60 kWh battery (not on the graph) slots between the Leaf and second place Spark EV.

The worst vehicles in terms of CPMR on the list is the BMW i3 BEV with a starting price of $41,350 and a below-average range of 81 miles. This put the i3 CPMR at a whopping $510. Another underwhelming vehicle is the Toyota RAV4 EV with a starting price of $49,800 and a CPMR of $483. Remember though that the RAV4 EV had the 3rd farthest range of all the vehicles studied at 103 miles. Only the Tesla Model S has a greater range.

What these metrics don't account for is the extra gizmos and doodads you get in something like the i3 or the extra cargo capacity of the RAV4. It is simply a comparison between the price of the vehicle and how far you can actually drive it between charges. In reality, a shopper in the market for an EV probably won't be comparing the Tesla Model S with the Chevrolet Spark EV, but if you're someone who wants the most bang for your buck, cost per mile of range can be a valuable metric.

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DISCUSSION (100)

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 09:49

Another interesting metric would be to take some diesels, EV's, hybrids and some high-mpg-gasoline cars and pit them against each other for the cost to drive 50,000 miles at their mixed MPG rating.

MojoMotors.com > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
09/04/2014 at 09:50

Good suggestion.

Pixel > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:02

This is a bizarre metric to be comparing.

MojoMotors.com > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:05

Tesla and Chevy are probably happy we did. BMW not so much.

SamJackson > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:07

I do agree with you, but the fact is that range anxiety is a real thing. I'd bet that a majority of Tesla owners wouldn't buy any of the other vehicles on this list, not because of cost or status but because of the limited range.

BigBlock440 > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:12

I think it kind of makes sense. KWh's are cheap, and the EV's ranges are terrible. The important thing for EV's right now is range, not KWh/mile, because it doesn't really matter if it cost you $1.20 or $1.30 to drain the "tank". What matters is how far you can get on that "tank". It's so cheap to fill, it's almost negligible at this point.

BigBlock440 > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:13

Cost on the Volt? Probably up there.

427zeo6 > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:14

crack pipe! Give me a Caddy hybrid so I have mobile freedom. I refuse to consider a vehicle that limits my trip duration to such a limited range.

VashVashVash > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:16

Agreed. A better metric would be Cost of vehicle+fuel for 50k miles of mixed driving+required maintenance+expected repairs.

Or just make it about cost of ownership and subtract expected resale value after 4 years.

Phil_L > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:17

The chart merely confirms two things I already knew: I can't afford any of these vehicles; and my daily drivers cost me a fraction of what these cars cost, no matter what metric you use.

Still waiting for an EV that makes sense for me...

Ingo-Castilho > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:17

BMW never ceases to amaze. And the I3 EV looks like shit.

StevenG > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:18

I doubt either cares, no one would compare these cars. There is not much cross shopping between $40k cars and $80k cars.

StevenG > BigBlock440
09/04/2014 at 10:18

Only if you think you need that kind of range. Even then you are better off getting the range you need at the lowest cost vs simply selecting the lowest cost per mile of range.

Buckus > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:19

Only because you're probably not in the market for an electric car.

Burningman1228 > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:19

what I would like to see is a comparison and formula to tell me, based on average monthly and down payments, combined with daily commute mileage, and the regional gas prices, plus EV tax credits, does it make more sense to purchase a comparable combustion or an EV.

StevenG > Phil_L
09/04/2014 at 10:20

A used Volt is pretty cheap. New tech costs money.

AddieDMcLaughlin > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:20

Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail

www.jobspug.com

Buckus > Phil_L
09/04/2014 at 10:21

Well, when some of them hit the aftermarket and you can buy them for $3000 then there will probably be one that makes sense for you.

Buckus > BigBlock440
09/04/2014 at 10:21

The Volt is a plug-in hybrid, not a pure EV. It's a compromise of both.

Filmlandgrab > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:25

Looks like BMW needs to up the range on the i3 BEV. I heard it'll be out next year, with twice the cup holders, called the i3 BEV MO.

DiscoTReK > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:27

But the real question here...is the Model S fun to drive?

D-Dubya > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:29

Exactly. This "value" doesn't mean much if you don't need the extra range. 80 miles a day would be good for 95% of my driving. That's luck saying a $150k dump truck is the best value in trucks because it has the best payload/$ ratio.

Phil_L > Buckus
09/04/2014 at 10:30

I'm counting on it!

Old-Busted-Hotness > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:31

It's only a "great value" compared to other electrics. Compare that to a normal gas car's $50/mile and they all come up way short.

MojoMotors.com > DiscoTReK
09/04/2014 at 10:32

Do burnouts = fun?

yertle > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:35

seriously. we don't compare gas cars that way, so I don't think it makes much more sense to compare electrics. Sure, range anxiety is a thing, but if you aren't going to drive 265 miles/day then you're wasting money on a car that can do that.

BigBlock440 > Buckus
09/04/2014 at 10:35

Kinda like the i3 though, an EV with a generator. The Volt's generator just happens to have the ability to power the wheels at highway speeds.

Phil_L > StevenG
09/04/2014 at 10:35

I just checked Craigslist in my area: There is a used Volt available for $18K-ish (still more than I've ever paid for a car). Sadly, the realities of 3 kids means this is both (a) too expensive and (b) not capable enough for my family.

Though - I'll admit - they're getting closer. Particularly for the Volt: My work commute fits comfortably into the Volt's limited EV-only range. I'd be plug-in-only for the majority of my daily driving. A pity there are only 2 seats belts in the rear (I believe 5 passenger Volts show up soon).

Pixel > Buckus
09/04/2014 at 10:35

Really? You think someone would look at this chart and think "Well I was going to buy the $35K Ford Focus Electric, but that cost ~$4650 per mile of range. Now I'm going to buy the $80K Tesla Model S because that only cost $3000 per mile of range."

This chart makes as much sense as cross shopping a Mercedes S-class and a Toyota Yaris based on the size of the fuel tank.

ncasolowork2 > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:36

I wouldn't use the term bizarre. I'd use the term pointless. This metric is almost like suggesting you can never recharge your vehicle. It doesn't measure operating costs in any way shape or form. Unless you're only going to use it once and dispose of it.

bbutle01 > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:36

EVs are mirroring the path that SSDs have taken in the IT industry. At first they came out and only they had a small capacity (short range) and were expensive. Only the rich or pretentious would have them and they suffered through the capacity problems. Then they steadily came down in price until they reached a point where they're pretty common to see now and it's no longer a headache to use one. Soon it will be to where they are the standard and people will wonder why some people still get the old mechanical drives (engines)

TheCraigy > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:37

To hell with EVs, we need a top ten best range per dollar of all cars.

Probably going to be some Chevy cargo van, or a Ford F150 with a 36 gallon tank.

G8-Volt > BigBlock440
09/04/2014 at 10:38

The Volt isn't going to do well in this comparison since the electric range is only about 40 miles. The trade off is that there is no range anxiety because of the gas engine. The Volt works well for me because most days I drive less than 40 miles. I do occasionally have to drive 200-300 miles in a day for work so most EV's outside of a Tesla wouldn't work. I can't afford a Tesla or I probably would have one.

StevenG > Phil_L
09/04/2014 at 10:40

$18k is pretty cheap for a newish car. 3 Kids is going to limit you to some rather large vehicles. I can't think of any that cheap though.

axiomatik > BigBlock440
09/04/2014 at 10:41

It is a little different in that the i3's generator is optional. You can buy it as a pure EV if you choose.

Goose > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:41

I think not including the federal tax credit is an unfair advantage to the Tesla. Well... any of the cars which are substantially more expensive than the others, I guess it's just more obvious with the Tesla. Every car on this list receives that federal tax credit if you were to purchase it, what was the purpose of not including it? Including the tax credit makes the Spark a much better deal by this metric than the Tesla (~234 CPMR vs ~273 CPMR for the Tesla).

300hp30mpgrwdfor30k > bbutle01
09/04/2014 at 10:41

Good analogy

ncasolowork2 > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:42

Sorry but this is a pointless calculation. It is almost like you assume the car is going to be used once and discarded. What's the average commute distance? How many of the EV's on this list fail to have the range for a round trip of that commute? Sure range is important, but only when it fails to meet some sort of need does it start to really matter.

torrie > TheCraigy
09/04/2014 at 10:42

my money is on diesel landcruiser with dual 25 gallon tanks out of the factory.

Buckus > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:42

It's an interesting way to compare them, yes, but in the case of the S-Class and the Yaris, the price of the fuel tank isn't 40% of the cost of the vehicle. In the end, it's just another way to slice the data.

That reminds me of a car commercial (for a dealer) I heard a while back, when gas was expensive. Some Nissan dealer was advertising the Murano as "The SUV with the longest range." Not fuel-economy - range. I'm like, man, they could just stick a 40-gallon tank in the back of any SUV and claim the longest range.

macanamera > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:43

Nothing new here. You buy the super-size value meal, you get more french fries per cent.

Buckus > BigBlock440
09/04/2014 at 10:43

The engine is optional on the i3, and AFAIK, it doesn't turn the wheels directly. In fact, if I'm correct, the car is limited to something like 40mph while on engine power.

Phil_L > StevenG
09/04/2014 at 10:43

Three kids has been tough on my budget, too! Current daily driver now approaching 20 years old; no plans for replacement.

Pixel > D-Dubya
09/04/2014 at 10:44

Precisely. 5+ days of the week I would need less than 60 miles range. There are 6 cars at or below $35K on this chart that would do what I needed. The fact that they are all "worse values" in this particular metric than a $80K Tesla is irrelevant to someone with my needs.

Voice of C. Montgomery Burns > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:46

Misleading and biased comparison.

MojoMotors.com > Goose
09/04/2014 at 10:48

Fair point, but it isn't so simple. To get that $7,500 tax credit, your income taxes needs to be higher or equal to $7,500. That variable might make some of the numbers misleading.

MojoMotors.com > Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
09/04/2014 at 10:49

Perhaps even more misleading if we included the $7,500 tax credits.

jayed_coins > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:49

The original article acknowledges that.

The chart does seem useful for comparing two groups of these cars — everything at and below the Fiat, and everything above the Fiat... save for the Tesla.

As it pertains to the Tesla, I think the point of it being the outlier in both initial cost and best per mile of range value, is to say that Tesla is doing something pretty damn special — they're building a luxury vehicle with few peers right now, and that innovation is always good for the industry at large.

tobythesandwich > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:49

And in all reality, it's likely none of them care.

anaa > BigBlock440
09/04/2014 at 10:50

But range only matters if you will regularly exceed that range. Like an above poster said, 80 miles will get you to nearly all of the places you need to go in a day.

And even then, the range would only really matter if you didn't have a second gasoline vehicle to get to that last few percent of places that the EV wouldn't make it to.

And even if 80 won't do it and you have no other car, then go to the next cheapest vehicle with the larger range to suit your specific needs, as that will be the best value for you personally.

smallblockelky > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:50

I don't hate this chart as much as most here.

I think the point is just that the model S is going to be the easiest to live with from a cost/miles of range perspective. Range is the one limiting factor that prevents me from buying an electric car (seriously have considered a model s), and if we could drive to my wife's family 500 miles away without having to stop for 30+ minutes twice to charge along the way we would be sold.

Voice of C. Montgomery Burns > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:50

No, it'd be just as misleading.

rxe7en > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:50

My friend's brother gave him a Model S—he made a lot of money on Tesla stock—and my friend never drives it. He drives a late-model Mitsu Eclipse instead. I just look at the S longingly in it's parking space. So wasted on that man.

RD > Phil_L
09/04/2014 at 10:51

I've said it from the start - a Voltec CUV would be the killer app because you'd only need one vehicle instead of an EV and something else if you have a family - it could do it all (for a large chunk of people). Instead, they'll wait for the Mitsubishi to bring the Outlander PHEV here - it's already been successful elsewhere in the world.

smallblockelky > macanamera
09/04/2014 at 10:51

That's not fair. This is a much bigger concern for electric vehicles because of the time involved in charging. Range on a gasoline car is less critical because a fill up takes, what, 5 minutes at most?

gooseManana > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:52

Here's a metric:

X = Number of Charges per 600 miles

T = Time to Travel 600 miles + X * Charge Time

M = Price of Car / 43800 (~the number of hours in 5 years) + X * Price Per Charge

RT = Some function of the Time of the Trip (T) and the amortized Price of the Trip (M)

I'll call it Road Trip-ability.

macanamera > smallblockelky
09/04/2014 at 10:53

Fair? The notion of "fair" has nothing to do with this. The comparison is very valid. And what do gasoline vehicles have to do with anything?

room88 > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:53

The math was easy for me in deciding on a hybrid. The MSRP for the hybrid model for my vehicle was ~$2800 MSRP over the standard.

With my long commute, on my old car (with it's 17mpg) I averaged $550/month . Now I get over 40+mpg which saves me an easy ~$200-250/month. i.e. I make up the difference in less than a year.

RussCCC > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 10:55

The mojomotors spam continues.

HiMyNameIsJayAgain > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 10:58

"Well I was going to buy the $35K Ford Focus Electric, but that cost ~$4650 per mile of range. Now I'm going to buy the $80K Tesla Model S because that only cost $3000 per mile of range."

I don't think that's really the point of this comparison.

I see this as being akin to looking at price per square foot data in real estate. Doing so, you may discover that the 650 square foot 1bd/1ba condo may cost $350k (~$530/sqft) while a larger 2700 square foot unit may cost $1.35M (~$500 sq/ft).

As in the case with the cars, no one is really cross-shopping the two units.

It's more for comparing two similar products within a similar class.

MojoMotors.com > room88
09/04/2014 at 10:58

Smart move.

smallblockelky > macanamera
09/04/2014 at 11:00

When one of the least expensive cars on the gives you the second greatest $/mile of range your comparison falls apart. Comparing the Tesla to the super size value meal isn't really fair. What is the 50k toyota vs the 25k smart, then?

Goose > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:01

I think it is much safer to assume that the vast majority of people buying a brand new EV are making at least $7,500 a year. How many people buying any car, let alone a brand new EV, that sticker for 3x their income or more (assuming they do make $7,500 or less)?

Mosqvich > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:01

While not a metric, engineering design is important. Tesla's battery layout, which offers easy swapability, could prove important as these cars age.

The Gray Adder > BigBlock440
09/04/2014 at 11:03

Except that attention to KwH/mile helps with range.

SHutsonBlount > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 11:05

I own a Model S, and I think this is a silly graph.

MojoMotors.com > Goose
09/04/2014 at 11:05

That tax credit doesn't equal their yearly salary, but rather that they've paid over $7,500 in taxes on their income.

Goose > TheCraigy
09/04/2014 at 11:05

Passat TDi I bet would be right up there too.

dsigned001 - O.R.C. hunter > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:05

Significantly, the Tesla also seats the most out of the group (5 + 2 kids), so ironically it would also be the most practical for a kid hauler (price not considered).

The metric not taken in to account is that used Leafs are getting cheap, as are Volts. Teslas OTOH are stubbornly holding their value so far.

BigBlock440 > anaa
09/04/2014 at 11:05

That 2nd vehicle also has a cost, thus driving up the cost per mile of range of the EV because you now need two vehicles. Unless your arguing that EV's aren't really cars.

DiscoTReK > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:05

Yes!

Skinnayyyy > smallblockelky
09/04/2014 at 11:06

You don't stop and eat? At least one of the supercharger stops could be done while eating. If that helps with your serious consideration to make it more serious!

And I thought the superchager stops were only 15 minutes?

But, if you left your house with full range, we'll say you'll actually get 200 before stopping and charging, you'll get 400 miles out of the way before your next charge so the next stop could be done in half time so it would then only be one 30 minute stop and 1 15 minute stop!

(Just trying to help you get the car you want and make it make more sense)

BigBlock440 > axiomatik
09/04/2014 at 11:06

That's why I said "kind of"

TJDMAX > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:07

What i find tremendously interesting here is the huge gap in range between the Tesla and literally every other EV being made. For the price that some of these "cheaper" EV's are asking you would think there would be one that can get closer to 150 miles of range or so....

But nonetheless, this is a strange but intriguing metric to compare. Unless a buyer was planning on paying off his/her EV within one full charge I can't see this being tremendously helpful but you guys do have good articles that bring to light interesting comparisons of vehicles.

JaFra > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 11:07

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics."

erikgrad > Pixel
09/04/2014 at 11:07

It is bizarre to look at one factor, yet not include kwh usage per mile (which varies considerably by model), residual value over x years, insurance costs by model, and so on.

It's still interesting to look at, but the data really doesn't mean much on its own.

The Model S is still by far my favorite.

Buckus > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:12

To be even more fair...it's not that your taxes have to be higher or equal to $7,500, the amount you OWE at the end of the year has to be $7,500 or higher. Most people will not qualify for the full credit unless they were not having any federal taxes taken out of their paycheck.

BigBlock440 > Buckus
09/04/2014 at 11:12

I know it's not exactly the same, but you can use the Volt as a pure EV with out ever putting gas in the tank if you want. I don't know that it's fair to group it in with other plug in hybrids.

Buckus > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:14

The tax credit is not refundable - it can only be used to reduce the amount owed at the end of the year. Two scenarios: Person 1 has no taxes taken out of their paycheck and owes $7,500 at the end of the year. They can use the full credit. Person 2 pays $7,500 over the year, equally split between their paychecks and owes nothing at the end of the year. The cannot use the credit.

That's one of the reasons the tax credit is misleading. Most people earning under $100K with a couple of kids is probably not going to be able to use it.

NT > room88
09/04/2014 at 11:18

Your calculations follow a common, but flawed logic. You are comparing the difference in price between the hybrid and standard model, but the difference in gas between your old (paid for I'm guessing) car and the hybrid. That doesn't equate.

You should have calculated the difference of fuel economy between the hybrid and the standard model. Only then could you have factored in how long it would take you to pay the difference. Because it is the difference between the two you are comparing. e.g. if the standard model gets 35 mpg, then you are only saving say 1 gallon a week with the hybrid over the standard model. So that is about $20 a month. So it will take you 10 years to recover the cost. But by then you might need new batteries.

If you don't want to do this comparison, then you can't use the $2800 figure. You must then use the full retail price of the hybrid and divide that by the gas savings.

NT > room88
09/04/2014 at 11:18

If you don't want to do this comparison, then you can't use the $2800 figure. You must then use the full retail price of the hybrid and divide that by the gas savings.

NT > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:19

not necessarily... it's a flawed comparison.

TJDMAX > Mosqvich
09/04/2014 at 11:20

Thats because the Tesla was a EV that was designed from the ground up to be an EV. With the exception of the i3, every other car on the list is a gasoline powered vehicle that just has an EV model version. Which probably is why the range (battery capacity) is so much better on the Tesla than any of the others.

Goose > Buckus
09/04/2014 at 11:21

Really? That sucks!

Goose > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:21

Ooops, my mistake, got a little confused there.

Buckus > Filmlandgrab
09/04/2014 at 11:22

Oh, God, you're killing me!

smallblockelky > Skinnayyyy
09/04/2014 at 11:25

Appreciate the logic and help! I tend to agree. MAYBE WE COULD EVEN RENT A CAR FOR THE RARE OCCASION WE DRIVE THAT FAR. All of this is far too logical for her.

But I shouldn't be too hard on her...she lets me have a 70 el camino AND a 49 willys delivery, and that is a rare wife. If she ends up making me buy an M3 or S4 instead of a Tesla, can I really complain?

TJDMAX > Burningman1228
09/04/2014 at 11:27

Something like this wouldn't be very hard to calculate for yourself. Its so different for each person that it wouldn't make sense to compare it on a "general" scale. It wouldn't take much to figure out current MPG's of your car, and current gas prices for stations you fill up at, figure out how much you spend on fuel. You can compare the EPA rating of your car and compare it to what you actually get to get an idea of what MPG you would get from a New gas car, to do the same calculation to figure out fuel costs. Then you can see how much you were paying each month for gas and factor it in to the payment for the car (if there is one).

Next, look at your electricity bill, figure out how much you pay per kWh. Figure out what "bracket" you are in and determine if your price will go up or stay about the same if you are charging an electric vehicle. Then you can figure out how often you would be charging it based on commute and so on, and then compare these costs to the gas car.

bbutle01 > TJDMAX
09/04/2014 at 11:28

I'm pretty sure the Leaf was designed to be electric too. And so is the i-Miev

Landryschicken > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:29

The Model S holds its value and will probably continue to do so as long as there is a waiting list. That's not an argument for its value, but if you are looking for an economic justification, there you go. Cost of ownership is dominated by depreciation. Contrast with the Focus EV which you can find with low mileage for half the MSRP.

Sidebar: I wish gasoline cars and HEVs would compete on. The notion of avoiding the gas station is one reason I'm looking at an EV/PHEV.

Burningman1228 > TJDMAX
09/04/2014 at 11:29

I come to jalopnik to have these things done for me. What do I look like, some type of person that works for a living and can do things?

TJDMAX > bbutle01
09/04/2014 at 11:29

You are correct. I somehow missed those when i looked over the chart.

TJDMAX > Burningman1228
09/04/2014 at 11:30

lol. I would be more than happy to help you if you would like. And if you provided some information...

Pixel > yertle
09/04/2014 at 11:37

Yup. The Ford Econoline 15 passenger van may have a much best passenger capacity to MSRP ratio, but if there is only ever 2 people in my car it doesn't make sense to buy one. instead of a Miata.

jariten1781 > Buckus
09/04/2014 at 11:38

No.

It reduces your federal tax burden for the year. If you were to withhold to exactly 0 dollars owed at the end of the year and received the 7500$ credit you would recieve a 7500$ refund assuming your total burden was more than 7500$ for the year.

If your total burden was less, say 4000$, then you would only be eligible 4000$ of the 7500$ credit.

Withholding does not change your tax burden which is calculated annually when filing. Not withholding enough for a couple years can get you tagged for penalty withholding which is obnoxious and arduous.

Eric > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:39

Seems like you're getting a lot of hate for this. While I agree that you wouldn't buy a car based on this metric, it is cool to see them all lined up like that. You would imagine that the most expensive part of the car is the battery system so the fact that Tesla has been able to pack so much battery into such a (relatively) cheap package is quite impressive.

room88 > NT
09/04/2014 at 11:41

Ok yes. That makes sense.. i.e. not comparing it to my existing vehicle, but rather to non-hybrid model (had I purchased it). That said, the price difference between the hybrid vs. the non was indeed right in the 3k range total-out-the-door (tax/fees/etc.).

The non-hybrid model avg's 24mpg combined vs. the 40mpg combined for the hybrid. Not sure how that extra 16mpg breaks down off the bat... :) but my commute (45+ miles) back & forth is nearly 100 miles daily and I do intend on keeping this car for many years (I still drive my '97 bmw 528i) ... so pretty comfortable with the 3k out of pocket for it. We'll see how the battery thing plays out..

Burningman1228 > TJDMAX
09/04/2014 at 11:42

only if you're a Nigerian prince!

rafa444 > MojoMotors.com
09/04/2014 at 11:42

IS THERE AN UNSTAR BUTTON, terrible metric

TJDMAX > Burningman1228
09/04/2014 at 11:49

Ethiopian....but close!

http://www.teslamotors.com/charging#/calc…

Its on the tesla site but it doesn't use any specifics for the Model S. It can help you figure out how expensive an electric car will be for you to drive. Then its up to you to figure out what car payments and such make sense to you.