One way to put electric vehicle electricity usage into perspective is to compare it with a selection of common household electrical uses – such as a domestic swimming pool.
However, whilst it is easy to imaging a volume in terms of litres of fuel as comparisons between low and high consumptions – it is hard to ‘visualise’ just how much an EV uses in comparison to other electrical uses.
As can be seen here, on average an EV adds around 33% to the usage component of an electricity bill, in the process saving $1300 in petrol costs after deducting the additional electricity usage.
So, using the figure for an average annual EV electricity consumption of 2268kWh, what does this equate to with ‘other appliances’?
Based on the government mandated labels for the annualised average kWh used by electrical appliances, an annual electricity consumption of 2268kWh by an EV equals the annual usage of …
- 10 x 1.5 star 4.5kg tumble driers1
- 7.5 x 4.5 star 450L refrigerators2
- 4.1 x 3 star 660L side by side door refrigerator3
- 2.7 x 3 star 14kg front loading washing machines4
- Up to 25% less than the average annual energy use for an in-ground swimming pool (NOT including pool heating)5
Notes:
- 219kWh/yr: Simpson SDV457HQWA
- 299kWh/yr: LG GB-450UBLX
- 553 kWh/yr: LG model GS-L668PNL
- 830kWh/yr: Electrolux EWF1408B1WA
- How much energy does a swimming pool use?
Note: An earlier version of this article included incorrect figures and details of other appliances and has been updated to reflect more accurate comparisons.
Bryce Gaton is an expert on electric vehicles and contributor for The Driven and Renew Economy. He has been working in the EV sector since 2008 and is currently working as EV electrical safety trainer/supervisor for the University of Melbourne. He also provides support for the EV Transition to business, government and the public through his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.