The price of electricity continues to rise; that of gasoline and diesel, too. The question is: what is more expensive, recharging a car or refueling diesel?
We are reaching that moment in which no matter how much we repeat it, it ceases to be up-to-date, but the electricity rate continues to rise without stopping.
So it’s time to re-pose the question: With the rise in the price of electricity, is it more expensive to recharge an electric car or fill a diesel tank?
Gasoline and diesel, more expensive than ever
The gasoline price has set this week its fifth consecutive record in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has caused Brent oil, the benchmark in Europe, to reach its highest price since 2013 today.
According to data released this Thursday by the European Union (EU) Oil Bulletin, the gasoline is sold this week in Spain at an average of 1,608 euros per literwhile diesel does it at 1,496 euros. Both figures are the highest on record.
After this new increase, the ninth consecutive for both fuels, gasoline is now 5.7% above its record price, which was in force for more than nine years and exceeded a little over a month ago, while diesel marks a price 3.5% higher than its previous high of 2012.
The price of electricity, too (or almost)
The current price of the megawatt hour (MWh) that we pay today is not the most expensive in history, but it is close to reaching this ceiling.
At 340 euros MWh, it is the fourth most expensive price since records began, an increase in which the Ukraine crisis has a lot to do with it.
Is it more expensive to recharge an electric car or refuel a diesel?
“The price increases are not only affecting electricity, but also other energy sources,” say experts from the consumer organization OCU.
Let’s go with the numbers…
In the same way that to calculate how much it costs to fill the diesel tank, we have to multiply the price per liter by the liters that fit; to know how much it costs to recharge an electric you have to take into account the capacity of the battery and the price of electricity.
The formula to apply is: battery capacity (kWh) multiplied by electricity price (euros/Kwh).
The Tarifaluzhora website offers up-to-date data on electricity prices. It indicates that the average price for today (remember that the electricity rate varies depending on the time of day) is 0.47011 euros/kWh. This, for a model with a 64 kWh battery (such as the Kia e-Niro, which has been the best-selling electric in February 2022) represents an expense of 30,087 euros.
For size, performance… the Kia e-Niro can be comparable to the Ford Puma. This SUV has a 42 liter tank; with the price of diesel at 1,496 euros/litre, filling it will cost 62.83 euros.
The question that has brought us here is: with the rise in the price of electricity, is it more expensive to recharge an electric car or refuel a diesel? Numbers are the answer.
This article was published in Autobild by Noelia López.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism