EV vs Gas

How much cheaper is your Honda Clarity PHEV to run than filling up with gas?

Your local fuel prices

Gas price / gallon — $4.50

Electricity price / kWh — $0.30

% of driving on electric (first 47 miles on a charge) — 40%

Short trips under 47 mi use battery; longer drives run the gasoline engine.

⚡ Electricity is cheaper.

Electric mode

9.3¢

per mile · 0.31 kWh/mi

Gasoline mode

10.7¢

per mile · 42 MPG

You save

1.4¢

per mile · 13% cheaper

Your blended cost at 40% electric driving

10.1¢per mile blended

At 12,000 mi/yr you'd pay $1217.83 blended vs $1285.71 driving gas-only for everything — saving about $67.89 /yr.

Why

Your Clarity PHEV draws 0.31 kWh per mile (EPA lists it at 31 kWh/100 mi, i.e. 3.2 miles per kWh, 110 MPGe) in EV mode. At $0.30/kWh, that is 9.3¢ per mile.

Once the 47-mile electric range is used up, the engine takes over and averages 42 MPG. At $4.50/gallon, that is 10.7¢ per mile.

Electric mode wins by 1.4¢/mile (13% cheaper). Battery-only driving is the sweet spot for a PHEV — every short trip under 47 mi is almost free to run.

Source

EPA figures for the Honda Clarity PHEV — 42 MPG combined gas, 31 kWh/100 mi electric, 47-mile EV range (fueleconomy.gov, 2018/2021 Clarity Plug-in Hybrid). Battery capacity 17 kWh. Estimates assume 12,000 mi/yr.