The active growth in the number of electric vehicles in Ukraine poses new questions for motorists. For example, what to choose - an electric car or a car with LPG. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these options?
The pros and cons of the electric car
The advantages of rechargeable cars are known: environmental friendliness, manufacturability, low maintenance costs compared to a car with an internal combustion engine, a long service interval (about 25-30 thousand km).
However, they have several significant disadvantages: limited mileage per charge, the need for regular long-term recharging, and the difficulty of operating at high and low temperatures. But the main disadvantage is the loss of battery capacity (approximately 2.3% per year) and its limited service life (5-10 years). Another point is the small number of charging stations. True, this shortcoming is being actively corrected. In addition, you can solve the problem with charging a car by purchasing a home station.
Machine with LPG - pros and cons
The advantage of the presence of HBO is less toxicity (methane, propane-butane are more environmentally friendly than gasoline). It is also worth noting a decrease in fuel costs (compared to gasoline), more stable engine operation and a decrease in wear of its parts by about 40%. The improved qualities of the gas mixture provide an increase in the engine's service life, however, the gas cylinder unit also requires more regular engine maintenance.
Considering a car with LPG, do not forget that this is still the same gasoline (or diesel) engine with all the traditional disadvantages and the need for regular maintenance (approximately every 10 thousand km.). In addition, the installation of LPG leads to a decrease in engine power by about 15%. Do not forget that gas cylinder equipment is not so cheap, and its payback depends on the amount of mileage per year, which should exceed 10-15 thousand km. Another drawback is that a gas cylinder takes up a lot of useful space in the trunk of a car, and because of its decent weight and size, it is not possible to install LPG on every car.
A bit of math
Let's calculate the cost of one km. mileage of an electric vehicle and a car on which the gas-cylinder unit is installed.
The average cost of liquefied gas at a gas station in Ukraine (for the calculation the prices of the Kiev region are taken) is 12.92 UAH. Volkswagen Golf with 1.6 liter engine. in mixed mode it consumes an average of 8.5 liters of gas per 100 km. Thus, the cost of one km. run on gas will be 1,098 UAH.
The cost of one kW of electricity at electric filling stations ranges from 3 to 9 UAH - the price depends on the power of the stations and the support of the fast charging standard. For the calculation, let's take the average cost of UAH 6. Electric car Nissan Leaf consumes 100 km. mileage of approximately 10 kW. In this case, the price of one km. mileage will be 0.6 UAH. But this is not the limit. A more profitable option is to charge the car from a home outlet. The cost of electricity for the population from 01.01.2021 - 1.68 UAH. per kWh. In this case, 1 km. mileage will cost approximately UAH 0.17. Plus charging at night with a dual-zone meter (a 50% reduction in cost between 23.00 and 7.00) will save even more - in this case for 100 km. mileage will need to pay only 0.08 UAH.
As can be seen from the calculations, the cost of driving an electric car is much cheaper than operating a car with LPG. Therefore, stock up on a map of charging stations, which can be found at site, plan your route wisely - and your trip will be not only cheap, but also comfortable.