Save Cash and Go Electric!

With fuel costs showing no signs of abating, many are looking at alternative ways of getting around the city to reduce the amount of petrol they use.

In this article we’ll explore the key costs of different forms of transport so that you can increase your disposable income when making your next vehicle choice.

How much does a Car Cost to run?

When looking at the costs, eBikes and eMopeds are usually supplementing or replacing a car as an alternative. In cities such as London the cost savings are even higher due to ULEZ and congestion charges.

For the costs in this article we have used the Fleet News calculator and Nimble Fins.

A small sized petrol or diesel car will usually cost 18p per mile. This compares with around 7p per mile for an electric vehicle, or 1p per mile for an electric moped.

This is excluding other factors such as maintenance, insurance, depreciation, road tax etc. Taking this into account, a petrol Nissan Micra will cost around 30p per mile, vs 35p for electric (due to higher purchase prices).

How does this compare to other methods of transport?

While electric cars are cheaper per mile based on fuel, they are still an expensive purchase and still contribute to significant traffic congestion compared to alternatives.

How much does a Moped Cost to run?

A typical 50cc petrol moped will cover around 100 miles on a single tank.

At around 5 litres and current petrol costs at £1.70 (May 2022), filling up will cost around £8 or £9.

The cost per mile therefore is similar to an electric car at 7 or 8p. On the other hand, an electric moped such as the Super Soco TSX will cover around 50 miles with a single 1800Wh battery.

With an electricity kWh cost of 28p, a full charge will cost around 50p, or 1p per mile. Compared to petrol counterparts, Electric Mopeds need far less maintenance too, so you will require less servicing and save here too.

How much does an eBike cost to run?

Finally let’s look at the electric bike.With an average battery of 500Wh, a full charge is going to cost around 15p.

With a range also of around 50 miles, with a bit of effort from your legs, the per mile cost is just 0.3p per mile.

How much does it cost to travel 100 miles in a city?

Based on these figures, what would commuting over the course of a year be? The average mileage in the UK is 6,300 miles annually in a petrol car, which is what the below figures are based on

	Cost Per Mile	Cost per 100 Miles	Annual Fuel Cost
eBike	0.3p	£0.30	£19
eMoped	1p	£1.00	£63
Petrol Moped	7p	£7.00	£441
Electric Car	8p	£8.00	£504
Petrol Car	18p	£18	£1,134

How much could you save with an eBike vs a Car?

Many people think of electric bikes as an alternative for a bicycle.

However, several studies have shown that not only do people use electric bikes more than bicycles due to the extra convenience and confidence from having a supporting motor, but they also replace more of the journeys done by car.

In Norway, a study over 6 months from June to November found that people who swapped from a traditional bike to an eBike increased the distance they cycled up to 6 miles, from 1.4 miles per day. This is an increase of nearly 4 times.

Interestingly, their usage of a bike for their total journeys also increased from 19% to 49% of all journeys, reducing the amount of car use down.

This is where electric bikes become alternative to the short car trips, with 5 mile journeys more easily completed on a bike. It’s not about replacing completely, but saving fuel where possible. Many of our customers sell their second household car, and purchase an eBike instead.

Benefits of an eBike

More Exercise

Another European study of over 10,000 riders across different countries backs this behaviour up, with cyclists on eBikes getting more exercise than those on traditional bicycles due to a higher usage overall and further distances travelled. A big part of this was the confidence. With the battery and motor there to get you up hills, longer distances are possible without fear or being too knackered to return. They’re a great bridging gap for the non-cyclists or less confident, which is the majority of people.

Lowest Carbon Footprint

A study by Bike Radar also demonstrated that electric bikes have a lower carbon footprint that bicycles, due to the riders needing to eat less food! Conventional bikes comes out at 21gCO2e per KM, vs 15g for eBike. (In the UK). That compares to about 50g for an electric car. We see above that the biggest saving is to be made by reducing petrol car use in favour of an electric bike. Of course, this cannot necessarily be done for all journeys but it doesn’t need to be. Swapping the car for an eBike for some journeys will still have significant impact on cost savings, not to mention your health!