I have a Prius Prime and it's a great car but I can get free charging at work and I was thinking about a pure EV like a model 3 or a ID.4. Basically my drive is way longer than the 24 miles, I can get out of the prime battery. My main question is and I know this is stupid to ask this on a website about Toyota cars but had anyone switched to an pure EV and did it actually save money? The reason I am asking is some reviews say it's going to save a lot of money without having to pay for gas and maintenance while others are saying the prime is actually the better way to go. I get free EV charging so if I did not get this I don't think it would be an advantage to switch but I do. My brother has a model 3 loves it and the only maintenance he's done in the 4 or 5 years since he's owned is tires and windshield fluid.
There are many previous Prius owners who have switched to pure BEVs. I have been thinking about the switch, but at least for my area with a very high electric rate, "saving" is not likely. Honestly, if you are comparing PP's total cost of owning and operating to any BEVs out there, you are not likely to end up with much savings. Especially where you are in CA with very high electricity (but also very high gas price as well), unless you have paid off solar on your roof or have access to a free charger for your BEV. You may want to read this thread I just started: Real-World Electric Vehicle Fueling Costs May Surprise New EV Drivers | PriusChat
I think there's a lot more to consider than just the cost to charge vs. gasoline. Are you ever going to take a trip longer than the range of the vehicle? What if you get to work and all the chargers are being used, or the employer takes that privilege away, or you change jobs? What's the price difference of the BEV vs a Prime? Tesla doesn't have a dealership network like Toyota, so you may be looking at an all day affair if you need service on the Tesla and the dealer is a long way away, and from what I've read, there are quality problems with Tesla. How much to charge at home vs gasoline for the Prime?
free juice? then it's pretty much the cost of the car. the only issues are price and availability. you should get a pretty penny for the prime.
If that free charger is always available for the life of the car and for all the driving OP does, then yes, at least the cost of fuel part is a slam dunk win for the BEV. Still, there may be other costs besides the cost of the car that affects the decision. Such as tax, insurance, repair costs after an accident, supply costs (such as tires... PP's 15" tires are relatively cheap compared to what I read about M3).
