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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Range-Extender EV?

A range-extender EV’s energy cost depends on electricity use, fuel economy, local energy prices, and how much you drive in each mode. Here’s how to calculate it.
Entry041 Date Time10 min MechanicCarCody Team
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There is no single cost per mile for a range-extender EV: the total depends on how far you drive using electricity, how far you drive while the range-extending engine uses fuel, and what you pay for each energy source. To estimate running energy costs, calculate electricity and fuel separately from the vehicle’s consumption figures, apply your local prices, and add the costs for the miles driven in each mode. The result covers energy only—not ownership costs such as maintenance, insurance, depreciation, or financing.

What determines the cost per mile?

A range-extender EV can use electricity for some of its travel and liquid fuel when its range-extending engine operates. As a result, its energy cost is a blend of two calculations, not one universal figure. Two drivers with the same vehicle can have different costs if they pay different rates for electricity or fuel, or drive different distances in each mode.

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The most useful vehicle data is energy consumed per distance: kilowatt-hours per 100 miles for electricity and gallons per 100 miles for fuel. If the fuel figure is given as miles per gallon (MPG), convert it to gallons per 100 miles. Then use the prices you actually pay. EPA guidance for plug-in vehicles presents electricity and gasoline consumption separately; a combined or MPGe figure alone does not tell you what your particular driving pattern will cost.

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  • Electricity cost per 100 miles: kWh per 100 miles × dollars per kWh.
  • Fuel cost per 100 miles: gallons per 100 miles × dollars per gallon.
  • If the fuel figure is MPG: gallons per 100 miles = 100 ÷ MPG.

For a real-world period such as a month or year, calculate each mode’s cost per mile, multiply it by the miles driven in that mode, and add the two amounts. Use the electricity and fuel prices relevant to your location and time period; a national or generic price cannot produce a personal estimate.

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Keep the units consistent. A rating of 32 kWh/100 miles means the vehicle uses 32 kWh for each 100 miles represented by that rating, or 0.32 kWh per mile. At an electricity price of E dollars per kWh, that is 0.32 × E dollars per mile at the listed rate. A fuel rating of 31 mpg means 100 miles requires 100 ÷ 31 gallons, or about 3.23 gallons; at G dollars per gallon, that is about 3.23 × G dollars per 100 miles. These are energy costs for the respective distances and modes, not a combined charge applied to every mile.

How to estimate your own energy bill

  1. Find the vehicle’s figures for the correct model year. Use the official listing or vehicle label for your exact model and configuration. Record its electricity consumption in kWh per 100 miles and its fuel consumption in MPG or gallons per 100 miles. Do not substitute a different model year or assume that all range-extender EVs have the same efficiency.
  2. Work out your electricity price per kWh. For home charging, use the rate applicable to the electricity you consume for charging. For public charging, use the price you pay there. If your driving uses more than one kind of charging, calculate each at its own price and combine the resulting electricity costs.
  3. Use the price and grade of fuel the vehicle requires. A fuel-efficiency figure tied to premium gasoline should be costed at your local premium price, not a lower grade’s price. Use the appropriate local price for the period being estimated.
  4. Estimate miles by operating mode. Divide the period’s driving into electricity-powered miles and miles driven while the range-extending engine is using fuel. Your actual split is more useful than assuming all travel is electric or all travel uses gasoline.
  5. Calculate each energy cost and add them. Multiply electricity consumption per mile by the applicable electricity price and the electric-mode miles. Separately multiply fuel consumption per mile by the fuel price and the fuel-mode miles. Add those amounts for the period total.

In compact form, when the vehicle listing gives electricity use in kWh per 100 miles and fuel use in MPG:

  • Electric-mode cost: electric miles × (kWh/100 miles ÷ 100) × electricity price per kWh.
  • Fuel-mode cost: fuel-mode miles × (100 ÷ MPG ÷ 100) × fuel price per gallon.
  • Total energy cost: electric-mode cost + fuel-mode cost.

For example, if your electricity price is E dollars per kWh and your fuel price is G dollars per gallon, keep E and G as your actual prices in the calculations. This avoids suggesting a dollar estimate that is not valid for your location. If you track only total miles and do not know the mode split, you can calculate scenarios for different splits, but you cannot get a precise personal total from the vehicle’s ratings alone.

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To turn a period total into an average cost per mile, divide the combined energy cost by the total miles driven during that same period. Keep the mode-specific distances in the cost calculation first: using the electric rate for all miles or the fuel rate for all miles will overstate or understate costs whenever the car uses both sources. If charging prices or fuel prices changed during the period, use the rates that applied to the corresponding energy use rather than applying one current price to every past mile.

What official range-extender EV figures show

ENERGY STAR’s model-year-specific listings for two BMW i3 configurations illustrate why both energy sources matter. Their figures are standardized efficiency data, not current prices or a guarantee of what an individual owner will achieve.

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Listed vehicle Electricity use Fuel economy and grade Illustrative energy-cost expression
2020 BMW i3 with Range Extender 32 kWh/100 miles, combined 31 mpg combined, premium gasoline At the listed electricity rate: 0.32 × E dollars per 100 miles of electricity use. At 31 mpg: about 3.23 × G dollars per 100 miles of fuel use.
2018 BMW i3 (94Ah) with Range Extender 31 kWh/100 miles 35 mpg combined, premium gasoline At the listed electricity rate: 0.31 × E dollars per 100 miles of electricity use. At 35 mpg: about 2.86 × G dollars per 100 miles of fuel use.

In the table, E means the driver’s electricity price in dollars per kWh, while G means the driver’s premium gasoline price in dollars per gallon. The expressions translate the listed consumption into a cost using the reader’s own prices; they are not market-price estimates. The 2020 listing’s electricity figure, for example, gives 32 × E ÷ 100, or 0.32 × E, for 100 miles at that listed rate. Its fuel figure gives 100 ÷ 31 gallons per 100 miles, or about 3.23 × G dollars at the stated price.

These electricity and fuel expressions are alternatives for the distance consumed in each mode, not two charges that should automatically be added for every 100 miles. To estimate a driver’s total, multiply each mode’s applicable cost by that mode’s actual distance. A different local price or usage split changes the answer even when the vehicle’s listed ratings stay the same.

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The two model years also show why a vehicle name alone is not enough to choose a rating. The 2018 i3 (94Ah) listing reports 31 kWh/100 miles and 35 mpg on premium gasoline, while the 2020 i3 with Range Extender listing reports 32 kWh/100 miles and 31 mpg on premium gasoline. Those are specific official listings; they should not be treated as universal figures for every i3, every model year, or every driver.

Why MPGe is not a complete cost estimate

MPGe converts electricity use into a gasoline-equivalent measure: EPA states that one gallon of gasoline has an energy equivalent of 33.7 kWh. That can help compare energy efficiency across vehicle types, but it does not mean electricity and gasoline have the same price. To estimate spending, use the electricity and fuel consumption figures separately and multiply each by the price you pay for that energy.

Charging losses also affect how much electricity must be purchased. EPA says its MPGe values assume Level 2 alternating-current charging and account for losses from the charging cable—also called the electric vehicle supply equipment, or EVSE—and the vehicle’s on-board charger. In other words, the figure is designed to reflect electricity drawn from the wall under that stated assumption, rather than only energy stored in the battery. For cost estimates, use the official consumption measure as presented for the vehicle and avoid substituting a battery-only figure that omits charging losses.

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EPA fuel-economy procedures use defined test cycles intended to represent driving conditions. Manufacturers submit the data used for labels, and EPA confirms a portion of the test results. Treat official ratings as standardized comparison figures, not a promise of your personal consumption: actual energy use and cost depend on the vehicle’s use and the energy prices that apply to you.

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How to compare two range-extender EVs fairly

Compare like with like: use the same location, time period, annual distance, energy prices, and assumed share of miles in each mode for both vehicles. A model with lower electricity consumption may not have the lower total energy cost under every driving pattern, because fuel consumption, fuel price, and the share of fuel-mode travel also matter.

  • Compare electricity consumption per distance, such as kWh/100 miles.
  • Compare fuel consumption per distance, converting MPG to gallons/100 miles when needed.
  • Use the electricity price you would actually pay and the price of the required fuel grade.
  • Apply the same expected electric-mode and fuel-mode distances to each estimate.
  • Keep the model year and configuration attached to each rating; do not blend figures from different listings.

Where the listings use different units, convert them before comparing. Lower kWh/100 miles means less listed electricity use over the same distance. Higher MPG means fewer gallons per mile, but converting to gallons/100 miles makes its relationship to fuel cost easier to compare with the electricity calculation. Neither measure alone establishes which car will cost less for your particular use.

For a straightforward comparison, make a small two-row worksheet for the vehicles and use the same assumed electric miles and fuel-mode miles in both rows. Calculate each electricity amount from that vehicle’s kWh/100-mile rating and each fuel amount from its MPG rating, then apply the same local prices. If a vehicle’s listing says the fuel figure applies to premium gasoline, use the premium price in the estimate. This isolates the effect of the vehicle’s consumption figures instead of letting different assumptions drive the result.

What this estimate includes—and what it leaves out

The calculation is for purchased energy: electricity and gasoline or other listed fuel. It is not a complete cost of running or owning a vehicle. The energy total does not include insurance, financing, depreciation, maintenance, repairs, registration, or charging equipment. Those costs require separate information and should not be folded into the energy-per-mile figure.

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No single dollar amount is defensible without the exact vehicle and model year, local electricity and fuel prices, the distance driven, and the split between modes. The two ENERGY STAR examples above are useful for demonstrating the method, but their efficiency ratings alone do not reveal an owner’s bill.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does a range-extender EV cost per mile?

It depends on the vehicle’s electricity and fuel consumption, your local energy prices, and the miles driven in each mode. Calculate electric-mode cost per mile and fuel-mode cost per mile separately, multiply each by its mode-specific distance, and divide the total energy cost by total miles if you want an average for the period. Without those inputs, there is no reliable universal dollar figure.

Is a range-extender EV cheaper to run on electricity or gasoline?

There is no answer that applies to every driver. Compare the cost of the electricity used for a mile in electric mode with the fuel cost for a mile in fuel mode, using the vehicle’s ratings and the prices you actually pay. Electricity and gasoline prices vary, and a driver’s total also depends on how much distance is covered in each mode.

Can I use the vehicle’s MPGe rating to work out my bill?

MPGe is useful for an energy-efficiency comparison, but it is not by itself a complete cost forecast. EPA’s gasoline-equivalent conversion is 33.7 kWh per gallon, and its MPGe values account for charging losses under a Level 2 AC charging assumption. For a personal bill estimate, use electricity and fuel consumption separately with the corresponding prices.

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What if I do not know how many miles I drive in each mode?

You can estimate several scenarios by assigning different shares of your total distance to electric mode and fuel mode, then applying the same calculation to each. The resulting range is more informative than treating every mile as electric or every mile as fuel-powered, but it is still an estimate until you know your actual mode split.

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Does the estimate include maintenance, insurance, or charging equipment?

No. The formulas estimate purchased energy only. Insurance, financing, depreciation, maintenance, repairs, registration, and charging equipment are separate ownership or operating expenses.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a range-extender EV cost per mile?

It depends on the vehicle’s electricity and fuel consumption, local prices, and the miles driven in each mode. Calculate each mode separately; without those inputs, there is no reliable universal cost per mile.

Is a range-extender EV cheaper to run on electricity or gasoline?

That depends on the vehicle’s consumption ratings and the electricity and fuel prices you pay. Compare the per-mile cost in each mode, then account for how much distance you drive in each.

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Can I use MPGe to calculate my energy bill?

MPGe helps compare energy efficiency, but it does not by itself predict spending. Use the vehicle’s electricity and fuel consumption figures separately with your applicable prices.

What if I do not know how many miles I drive in each mode?

Calculate scenarios using different shares of your total distance in electric and fuel modes. The result is an estimate until you know your actual usage split.

The Bottom Line

To estimate a range-extender EV’s energy cost, use the exact model-year electricity and fuel ratings, your local prices—including the required fuel grade—and the distance driven in each mode. Add those mode-specific costs for the period; do not treat MPGe as a complete bill estimate or include non-energy ownership costs in the result.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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