Thinking about Replacing your EV with a Gas-Powered Car?

(**Disclaimer: This article is satire—we hope it makes you laugh!)

You might be tired of hearing people drone on and on about electric vehicles and their supposed “practicality” and “benefits”. As an electric vehicle owner, you may not feel as unique as you once did when nobody else was driving an EV. Maybe you miss the roar of an engine, the convenience of an easy fill-up, or just hanging out at your Toyota service center waiting room. You’re thinking about making the switch to a gas-powered vehicle—but you’re naturally unsure and have some questions about the advantages of gasoline. So, we decided to answer some of the tough questions about gas-powered vehicles they don’t want you to know:

How much money will I save in maintenance with my gas-powered vehicle?
New gas-powered vehicles in the US cost approximately $1,398 each year on maintenance according to AAA. This of course, does not include the vehicle’s fuel which, depending on the size of your cars’ gas tank and fuel efficiency, usually costs drivers about $208 each month for gas at five dollars a gallon, based on the 260 miles-per-week US average. That equals approximately $2,496 to fuel your vehicle each year. That’s an annual total of about $3,682— Not bad! Of course, it will be even better when gas prices go down.

Electric cars on the other hand don’t really require as much maintenance as gas-powered vehicles do, since they don’t need oil changes or air-filter replacements. Boring, we know. We personally love spending a lot of time at the mechanic. It helps us feel closer to our cars.
If your electric vehicle is cared for according to the automakers’ recommendations, it should cost approximately $949 each year to maintain according to AAA. You might be wondering about how much it costs to charge your vehicle, since we all know how expensive electricity is right now. Charging an electric car will typically add $30 to $60 a month to your utility bill assuming you are using a Level 2 (L2) home charger exclusively. At the higher end, that equates to an outrageous $720 annually. This means the yearly total cost of owning an EV is an absolutely criminal $1669. And that’s if you’re only “average”!

Can I fuel up my gas-powered car for free at work or in shopping centers?
Well, we wouldn’t really recommend trying to do that.

Who can install a gas pump at my house? Do I need someone special to do that?
The logistics of this are a bit complicated. It isn’t really as simple to install an entire gasoline pump to your house as it is to wire in an L2 charger, which needs to be installed by an electrician and costs between $850 to $2K depending on certain variables.
We suppose you would need someone special to install a gas-pump, like an engineer—or if you’re on a budget, a Wilco Farm & Ranch supply store employee will probably work fine too. It isn’t technically illegal to store gasoline at your home (refer to your local government regulations) but transporting and then storing copious amounts of gasoline at your home may be a bit challenging…and dangerous.
Assuming that you plan to store your gasoline safely, the average cost of a double-walled 3,000-gallon fiberglass fuel tank is around $14K. The addition of a fuel pump installation to your home should add just a tad bit more to that total. The Wilco employee may be able to help you install this as well.
Now, you should be ready to purchase the gasoline you need to fill your tank! Might need to break out the checkbook for this one.

Does my gas-powered car fuel up while I’m sleeping?
Unfortunately, you should never leave your car for that long while it is fueling up. While you may be used to the Level 2 home charger refueling your EV overnight while you sleep, we wouldn’t recommend attempting to do the same with gasoline. Unlike a grid optimized L2 EV charger, your vehicle’s tank won’t stop filling up once it’s full.

What kind of government incentives can I receive by driving my gas-powered car?
Well, you likely won’t be able to receive any type of incentives from the government for driving a gasoline powered vehicle like you would for your EV. It’s not so bad though. At least the annual admissions test fee at the DEQ or Clean Air Station is only about $25 in the Clackamas County area, and if your car doesn’t pass, it’s free!

In what ways does my gas-powered vehicle save the environment?
Did you know that trees “ingest” CO2 and other harmful carcinogens? According to the Arbor Day Foundation, in one year a single mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in exchange. Burning gasoline and diesel fuel creates carcinogens like nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde. What would our beautiful and green forests absorb to sustain themselves without all of this pollution? You’re welcome nature.

But seriously, there are a lot of benefits to making the switch to Electric. Learn more about our Electric vehicle lineup & check out our current inventory of New EV and Hybrid vehicles.