CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -

Researchers with the Union of Concerned Scientists pinpointed just how much an electric vehicle owner could save in operating costs compared to an average compact model.

Study findings revealed owners of models such as the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt can save $750 to $1,200 a year compared with operating an average new compact gasoline vehicle that gets 27 miles per gallon. Researchers based their analysis on gasoline costs at $3.50 per gallon.

“At that gasoline price, driving the average gasoline vehicle costs more than $18,000 to refuel over the vehicle’s lifetime, but the owner of an EV can expect to pay thousands of dollars less to power his or her vehicle,” study authors asserted.

“Thus, while in this early electric vehicle market these products have higher up-front costs, knowing how much one can save by using electricity instead of gasoline is an important factor for consumers considering an EV purchase,” they continued.

Beyond what an EV could do to the owner’s budget, the union touched on how these vehicles could benefit the environment.

In regions covering 45 percent of the nation’s population, researchers declared electricity is generated with a larger share of cleaner energy resources such as renewables and natural gas, “meaning that EVs produce lower global warming emissions than even the most efficient gasoline hybrids. 

“But in regions where coal still makes up a large percentage of the electricity grid mix, the most efficient gasoline-powered hybrid vehicles will yield lower global warming emissions than an electric vehicle,” the study went on to note. “Even then, however, electric vehicles slash oil consumption in nearly all regions.” 

An executive summary of Union of Concerned Scientists study titled, “State of Charge: Electric Vehicles’ Global Warming Emissions and Fuel-Cost Savings Across the United States,” can be found here.