EV vs ICE Savings

EV vs combustion: cost per kilometre

When you compare an electric car against a combustion one, the cost of energy per kilometre is what really moves the total cost of ownership (TCO). For an EV (kWh/100 km) the formula is cost_per_km = (consumption × price) / 100, and for combustion it is price / km_per_litre. Take typical Brazilian numbers in 2026. An EV charging at home draws roughly 15 kWh/100 km at R$ 0.80/kWh, so about R$ 0.12/km (drop that to R$ 0.03-0.05/km if you charge on an off-peak tariff). A gasoline car doing 12 km/L at R$ 6.00/L lands near R$ 0.50/km. That works out to roughly 80% saving on energy alone. Maintenance favours the EV too, since there is no engine oil to change, no spark plugs and no exhaust system, and regenerative braking stretches pad life by two or three times. Lei 14.220/2021 removed IPI on some EVs, and several states zero ICMS and IPVA for plug-in vehicles.

Applications

Work out the TCO of a personal car before you buy, run the numbers for a ride-share driver (Uber, 99), study what it would cost to electrify a corporate fleet, weigh a leasing decision, feed a sustainability report, or check how long the EV price premium takes to pay back through per-km savings.

FAQ

What about the higher purchase price of EVs? For an average driver doing 15,000 km/year, the energy and maintenance savings usually cover the premium within 4-7 years. Heavy users who clock 40,000+ km/year, like Uber drivers, get it back in 1-2 years.

Does fast charging on the road change the maths? It does. DC fast chargers run R$ 2-3/kWh, three to four times what you pay at home, so the advantage shrinks on long trips. Keep most of your charging at home or at work.

And battery replacement? Modern lithium packs carry an 8 year / 160,000 km warranty and usually last 12-15 years in practice. A replacement runs R$ 30-60 k today, and that price keeps dropping about 10% per year.