Recently, the oil prices in the United States have been soaring, leading many people to consider switching to electric cars or hybrid vehicles. When it comes to cars in the same price range, such as electric, hybrid, and gasoline cars, which one is the fastest and most cost-effective for long-distance road trips?
In the September/October issue of “Car and Driver” magazine, the publication conducted a test using three similarly priced vehicles: Tesla Model 3 (rear-wheel-drive), Honda Accord Touring hybrid, and Volkswagen Jetta GLI.
The three vehicles departed from the magazine’s headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and traveled through “Hell” in the lower peninsula, ultimately reaching “Paradise” in the upper peninsula, covering over 700 miles round trip within two days.
To ensure fairness and accuracy, the cars were monitored using GPS to maintain a speed limit within 10 miles per hour of the local speed limits, thus avoiding intentional speeding or driving in fuel-efficient modes to skew the results. Additionally, each lunch break was limited to 20 minutes to ensure consistent testing conditions.
Under highway testing conditions at 75 miles per hour, the Tesla Model 3 had the shortest range of up to 270 miles when fully charged before running out of battery, while the Jetta GLI, with its 228-horsepower turbo four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission, provided the most driving enjoyment but required premium gasoline. The Accord hybrid could run up to 490 miles on a single tank of regular gasoline.
During the outward journey, the two gasoline-powered vehicles (Accord hybrid and Jetta gasoline) arrived at their destination smoothly with just one refueling stop; however, the Tesla required two charging stops, totaling $24.16 in charging costs and 31 minutes of charging time (one charge coincided with the designated lunch break). Delays at a slow-serving lunch spot, Jimmy John’s, narrowed the lead of the gasoline cars, and eventually, the Model 3 arrived in Paradise 2 minutes ahead of the Accord and 9 minutes ahead of the Jetta.
However, this initial advantage did not last long. Upon reaching Paradise, the Model 3 had only 10% battery remaining, indicating an estimated range of about 30 miles, and the Level 2 charger at the lodging had malfunctioned, with the nearest supercharging station over 70 miles away. The deputy editor of “Car and Driver” who drove the Accord, Andrew Wendler, resolved the power issue by switching the circuit breaker of the lodging’s electricity box, but this action seemed to result in a lack of hot water at the lodging the next morning.
Both the Accord hybrid and Jetta gas refueled at a local gas station in Paradise, where ethanol-free gasoline was priced at a high $6.99 per gallon. To achieve a standardized comparison, the magazine calculated the energy prices based on the average national rates at the time: residential electricity at $0.19 per kilowatt-hour, DC fast charging at $0.53 per kilowatt-hour, regular gasoline at $4.45 per gallon, and premium gasoline at $5.40 per gallon. Accordingly, the Tesla spent $11.88 for an overnight charge at the lodging, the Accord spent $48 for 10.8 gallons of gasoline, and the Jetta spent nearly $76 for 14 gallons of premium gasoline.
On the return journey, the Tesla again required two charging stops: a 9-minute charge in Gaylord and a 33-minute extended charge in Clare due to repeated interruptions at the supercharging station. The test team originally expected a significant lag for the electric vehicle, but the actual total time was closer to that of the gasoline cars than anticipated.
Based on the overall journey data:
– Tesla traveled 752 miles, consumed 243 kWh of electricity, with 4 DC fast charging stops and 2 AC slow charging stops, totaling $85.70 in charging costs, at an equivalent of 11 cents per mile.
– The Accord traveled 744 miles, achieving a fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon, requiring only 21.1 gallons of premium gasoline costing $93.69, at a cost of 13 cents per mile.
– The Jetta covered the shortest distance of 737 miles, consuming 24.1 gallons of premium gasoline at a fuel economy of 31 miles per gallon, totaling $129.98 in fuel costs, at a cost of 18 cents per mile, making it the most expensive among the three vehicles.
In terms of total time taken, the Jetta arrived the fastest in 11 hours and 46 minutes, followed closely by the Accord at 11 hours and 48 minutes, with the Tesla trailing by an additional 25 minutes but not as far behind as expected.
The magazine concluded that while the Accord hybrid and Jetta gasoline completed the road trip faster, the Tesla, despite taking longer, saved almost $36 compared to the Jetta and around $8 compared to the Accord in refueling costs.
Given the current high oil prices, traveling with an electric vehicle remains the most cost-effective option if passengers have ample time for the journey.