‘It’s crazy’: How Soaring PG&E Rates are Impacting California’s Electric Car Owners

Source: San Francisco Chronicle  |  By Julie Johnson

A new electric car costs about $2,039 more on average than a conventional gas-powered car as of January, according to a Cox Automotive study. But e-vehicles have lower costs to maintain, repair and fuel up. Rising electricity prices run the risk of scaring potential new owners concerned about their bills, said Severin Borenstein, an economist and professor at UC Berkeley’s Energy Institute at Haas. “We’re discouraging people from doing something we really need them to do,” Borenstein said. 

Mark Toney, executive director of ratepayer advocate nonprofit The Utility Reform Network, said that “a whole lot more is at stake” with rising utility bills than just household budgets. “We need to understand the consequences of these rate increases on climate change,” he said.