Gig worker looking for his futuristic hatchback

[Instacar7er]

Since we got into the subject of using larger voltage of power. Can anyone give me a rough estimate of the difference one would have to spend with their power bill after they got an EV? I understand certain regions are different, but percentage wise. What’s the percentage difference?

[EvanstonI3]

Why don’t you mention where you are and what your electric rate is? Your electric bill goes up by how much you use, it is not a flat amount.

You drive 8X the number of miles per month that I do, so for me to tell you what I pay would be highly misleading.

Also- based on the miles per day you say you drive, be prepared to go through 2 sets of tires every year at $1200 a set.

[alohart]

Wow I wonder how much a charging station is going to cost me or can I do it myself? I’m an electrician and I know I can add a new circuit breaker. Def gonna YouTube the large component to see how that is installed.

You could install a 240 V 40 (hardwired) or 50 A (NEMA 14-10R) circuit for the electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). However, you'd need to buy an EVSE which is a smart switch that protects its user from electrocution and communicates with the EV's on-board charger to supply the requested current. If you avoid bells and whistles like WiFi connectivity, smartphone app integration, etc., a basic AC Level 2 EVSE can be purchased for as little as $300. The EVSE included with every i3 is an AC Level 1 EVSE (120 V 10 A) (a few i3's have optional dual-voltage EVSE's).

[alohart]

Can anyone give me a rough estimate of the difference one would have to spend with their power bill after they got an EV? I understand certain regions are different, but percentage wise. What’s the percentage difference?

Assume that your i3 would average 4 miles/kWh. Our i3 has averaged 5.2 mi/kWh, but as I wrote earlier, our i3's environment and use is ideal for an EV. If you drive 130 miles/day, that would be 130 miles/day / 4 miles/kWh = 32.5 kWh/day. You know your electricity rate, so you could estimate the cost to power an i3. While your electricity bill would certainly increase, your gasoline bill would decrease to 0, and you'd save considerable money compared with driving the same distance even in a very efficient ICE vehicle.

[alohart]

Also- based on the miles per day you say you drive, be prepared to go through 2 sets of tires every year at $1200 a set.

If you truly drive 130 miles/day * 365 days/year = 47k miles/year, you'd wear out 2 or more sets of tires every year depending on how aggressively you drive. The all-season tires on 19" wheels cost a bit less and wear a bit longer than summer tires on 20" wheels. 19" tires also provide a less harsh ride, so look for an i3 with any standard 19" wheel (there have been 3 different designs, although only 2 in recent models). 20" wheels are optional on an i3 and standard on an i3S which you should probably avoid if you want the maximum range.

If you have a Costco close by, the standard price for a set of 19" all-season tires including mounting, balancing, old tire disposal, and new tire pressure monitoring sensors is ~$1060. However, Costco offers a 25% discount a couple of times each year when they put Bridgestone tires on sale, so that would be the time to buy them.

[EvanstonI3]

based on your stated milage/usage, if you charged in my garage at 18¢/kW, you would pay about $117/month for the electricity. That's assuming 5 days a week of driving. If you drive every day, then $175/month would be more likely. But that is only for my rate. Yours may differ depending on where you are.

[Instacar7er]

I am in Central, California

[Instacar7er]

Right now with my Honda fit, I spent about almost 450 a month on gas as I fill up every third day

[Instacar7er]

As for tires, being 1k twice a year, that’s not as bad. I spend about almost 2k a year.

[Arm]

I am in Central, California

Central CA has a lot of ups and downs. It'll eat up your battery in certain locations. Without you being more specific, it's hard to give additional advice frankly. I prefer the BEV but in your case, I'd get a REx.