In 2014, we replaced our tiny (2005) "smart" turbo-diesel with a "smart" electric drive.
I became interested in electric cars because of the high standing charge — what you would pay if you used no electricity — levied by our electric utility.
If we used more electricity, I reasoned the standing charge would become a smaller percentage of our monthly utility bill.
Of course, our electric bill would increase, but that would be more than offset by not buying fuel for the car.
Electric smartie’s acceleration was astonishing. The little mite left tuned, noisy Honda Civics in the dust at the “stop-light grand prix.”
Best of all, while the Honda Civic engine howled, smartie’s vivid acceleration was serenely silent.
In six-and-a-half years of trouble-free ownership, we drove 41,785 kilometres. It was a city car.
Smartie’s power consumption — our charging station has its own meter — for the period was 7,293 kilowatt-hours, costing $685.60. That's about $100 per year.
For comparison, the diesel smart would have burned $300 of fuel.
Energy cost for the electric smart was 33 per cent of what would have spent on diesel fuel. It also emitted no carbon dioxide (CO2). (Apart from gas “peaking plants,” Ontario’s electricity is carbon-free.)
During our nine-and-a-half-year ownership, diesel smartie consumed 3,411 litres of fuel (4.53 litres/100 kms). A litre of diesel fuel creates 2.68 kilograms of CO2, so we produced 9,142 kilograms of CO2, or 962 kilograms per year.
Of course, had we been driving a “real car” — some people insulted smartie as “half a car” — fuel consumption and carbon emissions would have been twice as high. I responded to the “half-car” accusation with, “But, when I fill up, I get change from a $20 bill. What do you pay to fill up?” This always caused a hasty retreat.
In 2020, Mercedes stopped selling the smart brand in North America. Our local dealer no longer offered service – time to part company with the brand.
The electric smart came with $12,000 in various subsidies. The purchase price was $25,220 before tax. We got $5,000 on trade-in, making depreciation $14,389, or $2,214 per year. Insurance came to $4,453. Service was $3,587 — Mercedes technicians aren’t cheap!
Operating cost was:
- Electricity $0.0164/kms
- Insurance and service $0.2088/kms
- Depreciation $0.5532/kms
Insurance and depreciation dominate running costs. Ours were high because annual distance (6,428 kms) for an urban vehicle is modest. Doubling the distance would have almost halved per-kilometre expenses because the power cost is almost negligible, and depreciation is mostly age-related in a vehicle with neither an engine nor transmission to wear out.
We replaced smartie with an electric Mini — Mini Cooper SE to be exact — in November 2020. Since we use our garage for its intended purpose, alternatives were simply too large to share the space with our VW Golf.
Mini’s purchase price was $47,515, minus $5,000 trade-in, for a total of $42,515. Applying the federal electric car rebate — $5,000 — brought cost down to $37,515 to which we added snow tires, plus, of course, taxes.
Smartie accelerated well, but with 181 bhp and 199 ft-lb of torque, Mini was a rocket — truly “electric” acceleration — silent and drama-free. Unfortunately, Mini is not a convertible — but has a sun roof. We miss open-top motoring.
Mini’s powerful electric motor gives strong “regenerative braking.” (The motor becomes a generator, pushing electrons into the battery while slowing the vehicle.) Smartie did this, too, but less vigorously. Mini also has formidable handling – well into sports-car territory. Its corners like the 1959 Mini I once owned.
Servicing costs were nil. Mini’s purchase price included three years servicing. Apart from a flat tire, which cost $53.04 to repair, there have been no repairs. Over 19,508 kilometres, the car used 2,557 kilowatt-hours of electricity, costing $706.49. However, three years insurance cost $3,647.
Total operating cost has been $3918.46, or:
- Electricity $0.036/km (the price of electricity had doubled)
- Adding insurance (plus tire repair) $0.226/km
At 93 per cent, insurance dominates operating cost. Depreciation is hard to guess for electric vehicles. In the future, the dealer will charge for service. I expect that to be $100 to $150 per year — barely enough to affect operating cost.
When people think about electric vehicles, a top consideration is “range” — how far can one drive on a fully charged battery?
Smartie’s limited range was a downside. This was 117 kms in summer (July and August), but just 67 kms in the coldest part of winter (January and February). Of course, practical range was less — one would never drain a battery completely.
The effective summer range was 100 kms ... 50 kms in winter. Driving around Barrie, that range was acceptable. I recharged when the battery was at 25 per cent to 30 per cent. In summer, that was twice a week, and three times a week in winter.
Mini did much better. Mini’s summer (June through September) range averaged 211 kms. In winter (December through February), this dropped to 156 kms. Mini’s summer range doubled that of smartie, while winter range was almost three times greater. Part of that was due to Mini’s larger battery, but note that winter range was three-quarters the summer range. Smartie’s winter range was just half the summer value.
For 2024, Mini promises even more range. We shall see if this comes with a higher price.
How much “fuel” does an electric car use? In the U.S., this is measured as “miles per gallon electric.” This is meaningless in Canada, where fuel is sold by the litre and odometers read in kilometres. A gas-powered vehicle’s thirst is expressed as litres per 100 kms. For electric cars this would be kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres (kWh/100kms). Knowing the price of electricity, you can estimate the energy cost for your electric car.
Our electric bill has two components: the cost of the electricity and the cost of delivering it to you. If Ontario ramps up the use of natural gas for power generation, there will soon be a third component – a carbon charge.
In winter, Mini averaged 23.3kWh/100kms — in summer this was 14.0kWh/100kms. For smartie, winter consumption was 25.3kWh/100kms, improving to 14.5kWh/km during summer.
Note that despite being larger and much heavier, Mini used slightly less power than smartie. It’s clear that engineers have been working hard on energy management (a) reducing winter range loss and (b) improving efficiency.
So, is an electric car right for you? That, of course, depends on your needs.
We use our elderly VW Golf diesel exclusively for highway journeys. Its fuel consumption is better than available alternatives, and some hybrids come close. We use our electric Mini for urban trips where range is not an issue. If you can recharge at your place of employment, even Mini’s modest range is adequate for most commutes.
I believe an electric car makes great sense for urban driving. Considering the long trips we sometimes make, I’m not ready to replace my diesel with an electric equivalent.
It’s worth noting that high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on 400-series highways are legal for electric vehicles, even with only one person on board.
Barrie resident Peter Bursztyn is a self-proclaimed “recovering scientist” who has a passion for all things based in science and the environment. The now-retired former university academic has taught and carried out research at universities in Africa, Britain and Canada.
