ICE vs EV Deep Dive: How Gas Cars & Electric Cars Stack Up

The total number of fully electric vehicles available on the market in the US continues to grow as automakers introduce new models and updates to existing models. Today, there are over 40 fully electric models available in the US market, including compact cars, sedans, SUVs, trucks, and luxury vehicles. While the majority of electric vehicles are built from the ground up, some manufacturers are making electric versions of existing gasoline vehicles. Notable examples are the Hyundai Kona, the Ford F150, and various new Chevrolet models (Equinox, Blazer, Silverado).

In this article, we’re going to do a deep dive into the new Hyundai Kona, comparing the EV and ICE versions. The Kona is a perfect choice to look at overall ICE vs. EV performance because the EPA efficiency of both the gas and electric versions are pretty close to the overall industry average efficiencies. It will serve as an example for general ICE vs. EV comparisons.

We’ll begin our comparison with some of the basics then move into more vehicle-specific details like weight, aerodynamics, and fuel economy. Finally, we’ll wrap up our comparison with a dive into the impact of various driving conditions on each vehicle, with an emphasis on how these impacts change the effective cost to operate each vehicle.

Although this article is a deep dive into the Kona, it is a great illustration of how gas and electric drivetrains perform under different conditions. --Liz Najman, Director of Market Insights

Pricing

The starting price (including destination costs) for the base Hyundai Kona is $25,625 for the gasoline model, and $34,050 for the EV model, a roughly 30% difference in premium. However, federal and state incentives or rebates for EVs may help offset some of the upfront costs. Although no federal credits are available to buy the Kona EV, many Hyundai dealers have been offering very attractive lease terms that effectively “pass through” the $7500 tax credit to drivers.

Options & Packages

Both Kona versions come in three trims: SE, SEL, and Limited. Only the gasoline version includes an AWD option and different tire sizes. On the EV, only R17 is available, representing a shift in mindset towards efficiency rather than that of luxury.

Both the Kona EV and the gasoline model offer a similarly equipped base trim level, although the EV has options tailored to electric vehicle technology, such as:

• energy-saving climate control system optimized for electric vehicles, and
• an infotainment system with EV-specific functions like energy consumption monitoring and charging status.

Another perk of the EV is that advanced cruise control and collision-avoidance systems come standard, but are an add-on for the gas version.

Summary of Comfort & Convenience:

Following options only available to EV:

• Hands-free smart liftgate with auto-open
• Remote Smart Parking Assist
• Remote Start
• Solar front glass (front doors and windshield)
• Rear privacy glass
• Aero wiper blades

Following options standard on EV (upgrades on ICE):

• Dual automatic temperature control with Auto Defog and driver-only mode

Summary of Safety Features:

Following options only available to EV:

• Intelligent Speed Limit Assist

Following options standard on EV (upgrades on ICE):

• Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Junction Turning and Direct Oncoming
• Highway Driving Assist
• Navigation based Smart Cruise & Curve Control

Fuel Cost

In this next section, we’re going to do a deeper dive into estimated fuel costs per mile under various conditions. The EPA fuel efficiency values we’ll use are:

• Kona ICE - 29 MPG
• Kona EV - 116 MPGe (3.45 mi/kWh)

Additionally, we’ll compare fuel costs across three states, which have different weather, road conditions, and fuel prices. For simplicity, we’ll also assume 15,000 miles of driving per year, and compare 100% charging at home versus 100% public fast charging to represent the far ends of the driving spectrum.

Summary of Fuel Costs using EPA efficiency numbers

We start our analysis using EPA-estimated efficiency numbers, combined with the average fuel cost for each state.

Comparison 1: Exclusive home charging

In this situation, regardless of the state, the Kona EV will come out on top. Home electricity rates combined with high fuel efficiency results in a very low cost per mile, which may be ½ or ⅓ of the cost to fuel the Kona ICE. This means that the gasoline Kona will need to become twice as efficient, or gas needs to get half as cheap, to make the cost per mile similar.

Winner: Kona EV

Comparison 2: Exclusive public fast charging

Public DC fast charging is often quite expensive as we are paying a premium for convenience. We used the average DC fast charging rate per state to create the most expensive public charging scenario. In CA, exclusive DC fast charging a Kona EV is still cheaper than operating the gasoline counterpart, due to very high gasoline prices. In TX, where the DC fast charging rate is more expensive than gas, the cost per mile for a publicly charged EV is higher than that of the gasoline Kona. Even in MA, where the gas prices are higher than in Texas, the gas version of the Kona is still cheaper to drive than an EV that is exclusively fast charged.

Winner: It depends on gas and fast charge prices

Comparison 3: Mixed home & public fast charging

Most EV drivers today are homeowners with access to cheaper home charging, and estimates are that ~65% of charging is done using residential electricity rates. We’ll assume the other 35% of charging is at public DC fast chargers. This is still an extreme, since many public chargers are level 2, which are far cheaper than DC fast charging.

In this real-world example, we see that the cost per mile becomes similar, particularly where gas prices are below the national average. As gas prices increase, the cost advantage shifts towards the Kona EV. As a bonus, sometimes utility companies offer special EV charging plans or auto manufacturers offer free public charging perks. Both these situations favor EVs even more.

Winner: Kona EV

Driving Style

Only 15-30% of the energy derived from gasoline is translated to the wheels, depending on the drive cycle. The efficiency of gasoline vehicles improves at highway speeds (relative to low speeds), despite increases in drag force.

On the other hand, vehicles with electric motors are able to convert roughly 80% of electrical energy into mechanical energy, and have the ability to recapture energy through regenerative braking. Studies indicate that the aerodynamic drag of an electric vehicle is responsible for a large part of a vehicle’s fuel consumption and may contribute up to 50% of the total vehicle fuel consumption at highway speeds.

At low speeds, the fuel economy of the Kona EV is nearly 8x that of the gasoline Kona. However, at highway speeds, the EV drops to only 3x the efficiency of the gas version.

Weather & Terrain

The nice thing about traditional gasoline cars is that heating them is essentially free. This is because gas engines produce a large amount of waste heat that can be directed into the vehicle to heat the cabin. Since EVs do not have engines, very little waste heat is produced. Many groups have shown that the HVAC system is the largest energy consumption system in an EV, with several studies indicating that an average decrease of 30-40% driving range is to be expected with conventional AC systems.

Takeaway - under very hot conditions, the Kona EV is always cheaper to drive per mile, with a slight reduction in savings at very high speeds or extreme dependence on public fast charging.

Mechanical Specifications

The following mechanical specifications for both the ICE and EV version of the Kona affect the results above.

Weight

Electric vehicles typically weigh more than similar gasoline vehicles due to the weight of the battery pack.