Are you thinking of buying a plug-in electric motor vehicle (PEV)? Do you have questions about the basic terminology and how to decide which model is best for you? The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a new guide, Plug-In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Consumers, to help you answer those questions.
The handbook explains the various acronyms from EVs (all-electric vehicles) to PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles). It also reviews specific items to consider when making the purchasing decision, such as:
- Your driving requirements (for example: two seats or four)
- Availability of the vehicle and places to charge it
- Prices and incentives
- Vehicle maintenance
- Battery life
- Safety in driving and garaging the vehicle
When buying a car, most consumers compare the estimated miles per gallon between models. As the handbook points out, it's not easy to equate the energy in a kilowatt of electricity to that in a gallon of gasoline. DOE has simplified the comparison with eGallon, a website that allows you to compare the cost of electricity to that of gasoline in dollars per gallon by state. DOE's Alternative Fuels Data Center helps you find charging stations near you, along a route you're driving or within a state.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Rosalie Donlon
Rosalie Donlon is the editor in chief of ALM's insurance and tax publications, including NU Property & Casualty magazine and NU PropertyCasualty360.com. You can contact her at [email protected].
