The cost of driving an electric car is one reason to consider buying one. Low electricity rates, compared to fuel prices, allow electric drivers to save large sums of money. How big? We checked this using the example of one of the most popular zero-emission cars in Poland.
What is worth knowing about the cost of driving an electric car?
The cost of driving an electric car is currently one of the biggest advantages that this type of vehicle has. At a time of ever-increasing prices for fuels such as petrol and diesel, operating an electric car can be much more cost-effective. How much it costs to drive an electric car is ultimately determined by where you live and the power of the public chargers the driver uses.
Charging an electric car at home
People living in detached houses may experience the lowest cost of driving an electric car. For them, it is possible to charge the vehicle from an electrical socket in their own garage. The charge for 1 kWh of electricity is many times lower than for 1 litre of petrol or diesel. It will be even lower if the car is charged at night. Electricity tariffs are then lower than during the day.
An electrical socket is not the only solution. A compatible charger can also be connected to the home electrical system. The most common form is the wallbox, which is a wall-mounted device. Thanks to its high power output, hours of charging can be accelerated. Some manufacturers also offer chargers mounted in the garage floor. Unlike Wallboxes, these are wireless. It must therefore be borne in mind that they do not work as quickly as wired chargers.
The cost of charging an electric car can be further reduced by installing photovoltaic panels on the roof of the house. Combined with lower night-time electricity rates than during the day, the cost of using an electric car is then an extremely economical solution. 
Charging an electric car in a public place
Unfortunately, operating a vehicle on electricity is not always as low. People living in multi-family houses are usually forced to use public chargers. Their use is quite a lot more expensive than using your own socket. The price for such a service depends on how much power the vehicle's battery is charged with.
The cost of charging an electric car with a charger of up to 22 kWh is relatively low. The driver of an electric car will pay less than the owner of a combustion car. However, this involves a stop of several hours. Fast chargers allow driving to be resumed not infrequently after just half an hour. However, the charge for their use is no less than for refuelling from a petrol pump.
The cost of an electric car will therefore be recouped primarily for people living in detached houses. It is also much easier for such people to charge their car. A persistent problem is the small number of chargers in Polish cities. However, this is likely to change in the coming years. The ban on the sale of new combustion engine cars in the European Union, which will be in force from 2035, will contribute to an increase in the network of public chargers.
What will it cost to drive an electric car for 100 km?
The cost of driving 100 km in an electric car depends not only on where the vehicle is charged. It is also important which model the driver drives. The same principle applies here as for combustion cars. The larger and heavier the car, the more expensive it is to operate.
To illustrate how much it costs to drive 100 km in an electric car, the Nissan Leaf is used as an example. As a medium-sized vehicle with an average battery capacity, it is perfectly suited to averaging calculations. In this case, it will be a model with a 62 kWh cell. 
What will be the energy consumption per 100 km when driving an electric car?
In city traffic, the Nissan Leaf consumes around 15 kWh of energy per 100 km. In the combined cycle, this value drops to 14 kWh. When driving on the motorway, power consumption increases to 24 kWh. So how much does an electric car cost per 100 km? Least when the vehicle is charged at home. With an average rate per kWh of energy of 0.77 PLN, this is 11.55 PLN when driving in the city, 10.78 PLN in the mixed cycle and 18.48 PLN for a motorway journey.
An investment in an electric car that can be charged at home is therefore extremely cost-effective. If the car is recharged using a public charger, this is already a much more expensive operation. The charger operator decides how much the driver will ultimately pay. Here again, an average price for this service should be taken.
Using a charger up to 25 kWh costs on average PLN 1.30 per kWh. The cost of driving 100 km in an electric car in the city in this case will be PLN 19.50. In the mixed cycle, it will be PLN 18.20, and on the motorway it will be PLN 31.20.
A 50 kWh fast charger will cost approximately PLN 2.40 per kWh. In such a situation, driving 100 km in a Nissan Leaf will be an expense of PLN 36. Driving in a combined cycle will cost the driver PLN 33.60. Driving on a motorway, on the other hand, will cost PLN 57.60.
What does the cost of driving an electric car depend on?
It is not only the charging location and model that affects how cost-effective an electric car is. The cost per 100 km also depends on the use of additional energy-saving features available on the vehicle. In the case of the Nissan Leaf, this can be done by activating recuperation and the e-Pedal system.
Thanks to recuperation, some energy is recovered during engine braking. The e-Pedal system, on the other hand, makes it possible to dispense with the brake. When a sudden stop is not required, simply take your foot off the accelerator. The car then begins to noticeably reduce its speed.
However, in every car, including electric cars, there are extras that increase energy consumption. As in combustion cars, this is influenced by air conditioning, among other things. The increased power requirement is also felt when using the infotainment system. Both the use of the integrated navigation system and applications that make the journey more pleasant (e.g. music streaming) increase energy consumption. This shortens the vehicle's range. 
Is the cost of driving an electric car lower than driving an internal combustion car?
Based on the above calculations, it can be concluded that the cost of driving an electric car is lower than that of an internal combustion vehicle. Drivers with their own garage will be the first to notice the savings. However, those who only use public chargers will also have more money in their wallet.
Importantly, operating electrics will save even more over the years. The prices of petrol, diesel and LPG will rise in the years to come. This will be influenced by the policies of countries that want to promote the electrification of transport. The global political situation is also no less important.
It is now also cheaper to use an electric car because there are fewer charges for parking them. Many cities around the world are trying to encourage the purchase of an electric car by waiving parking fees for their owners in city centres. What's more, the taxes imposed on such vehicles, such as the duty for importing a car from abroad, are also lower. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, may be encouraged by the fact that the car has higher depreciation.
Electric cars are undoubtedly the future of motoring. They are not only greener but also quieter than internal combustion cars. What's more, driving an electric car will be cheap for many years to come. However, all these benefits are overshadowed by the cost of an electric car. The hope remains that, over time, their prices will become more affordable.
