Cost of Electric Vehicles Will Soon Rival Gasoline Counterparts

As soon as a few years from now, electric sedans will cost the same as an equivalent gas vehicle. A team at Carnegie Mellon University is researching how long it will take for other types of electric vehicles to catch up.

1 minute read

August 4, 2020, 10:00 AM PDT

By Lee Flannery @leecflannery


Electric Vehicle Charging

Noya Fields / Flickr

A team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, led by Venkat Viswanathan, developed a model to track the cost of components of electric vehicle batteries to understand the total cost and predict changes. "At some point, probably sooner than you expect, the price of an all-electric vehicle will fall far enough to equal the cost of an equivalent gasoline vehicle," writes Dan Gerino. Gerino reports that this equivalent cost (a $100 per kilowatt-hour battery price) could come as soon as 2023 and certainly by 2025. As of 2019, the kilowatt-hour battery price was as low as $156 as compared to over $1,000 kilowatt-hour battery price in the early 2010s. 

"Viswanathan said cost parity will arrive first for small sedans that now sell for $30,000 or less. It will take longer for automakers to develop electric trucks and SUVs that cost about the same as similar gasoline models," reports Gerino. Given the extra towing power of SUVs, batteries made for larger vehicles amount to greater costs. The future addition of new electric SUV models should transform the market in which EVs account for only 2% of new vehicles sold.

Thursday, July 30, 2020 in Inside Climate News

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

A cluster of wind turbines beneath a stormy sky, above a forest where the leaves are beginning to change colors.

5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project

Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.

5 hours ago - Inside Climate News

People boarding a bus on Maryland's Orange Route.

Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project

The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.

6 hours ago - Mass Transit

A brick building with a circular sign with the Airbnb logo hanging off of it.

Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin

The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.

7 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.