Alex was facing a common problem: it was time to buy a new car. He was trying to compare an electric vehicle (E.V.) to a traditional gas-powered car. While the initial purchase price was a major factor, Alex was more interested in the long-term running costs.
He started by looking at the price of fuel. For a gas car, that meant the price of gasoline at the pump. For an E.V., it meant the cost of electricity to charge the battery. He assumed the E.V. would always be cheaper to run, but he quickly discovered the situation was more complicated.
The cost to travel 100 miles is very different across the United States. In states with cheap power, like Washington or Idaho, an E.V. is the clear winner. The cost to charge the battery is much lower than the average price of gasoline for the same distance.
However, in other places, the numbers tell a different story. In Hawaii, for example, electricity prices are among the highest in the country. Because of this, filling up a gas tank can sometimes be more economical than fully charging an E.V.'s battery.
Alex realized that the right choice truly depends on where you live. A car that saves money in one state could be more expensive in another. He decided he needed to do more research on his local electricity and gas prices before making a final decision.