The Rising Cost of Gas VS. Electricity

     On February 28th 2026, the United States and Israel coordinated military operations against the Iranian regime. With a focus on stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons and ‘eliminating imminent threats,’ President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States had launched strikes against Iran. These strikes, as well as taking out the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggered retaliatory missiles and a full fledged war between countries. Along with thousands of deaths, one of the repercussions has been a disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most volatile oil chokepoints. This disruption has caused an economic uproar in the United States in the form of gas prices due to crude oil being significantly harder to acquire. 

    Since February 28th the national average price of gas has been steadily increasing. From $2.80 a gallon on February 23rd to $4.52 on May 11th. The national price of charging for electric vehicles is $0.417 per kilowatt. 

    In the Seattle area, the average price of gas has gone up $1.38 per gallon and is now $5.77. Seattle now has the second most expensive gasoline in the entire country. In Washington, a kilowatt  hour is $0.39 to charge at a public charging station, while for residential homes it’s only $0.15 per kilowatt hour. 

    On average, Americans drive 14,263 miles a year. The average vehicle gets just over 24 MPG while the average electric vehicle gets 3.5 miles per kW. This is a yearly rate of 594.3 gallons of fuel, or 4075.14 kilowatts which based on the national average pricing, is $2686.24 for fuel, or $1699.33 for energy. That’s a yearly savings of $986.91 if you were to switch to driving electric, and this is just a national average. 

    How about in Washington State? The yearly cost of gas jumps to $3429.06, while the yearly price of electricity at public stations drops to $1589.30, or $611.27 for home charging. Meaning the savings in WA state are $1839.76 to $2817.79. This is because Washington’s main energy is hydroelectric power. In fact, hydroelectric power accounted for 59% of the total electricity in Washington for the year of 2024. 

    Depending on where you live, electricity companies may even offer you rebates or income driven incentives for installing home charging. The Seattle area is dominated by Puget Sound Energy, and they offer a rebate up to $600 on qualifying level 2 charger purchases. If you qualify, they also have incentives where they cover 100% or up to $2000 of the cost for installing level 2 home charging if you own or lease an electric vehicle. 

    If you’ve been thinking about making the switch to driving electric, Revolve Motors can help you identify if an electric vehicle fits your lifestyle. Come see us, have a cup of coffee, and learn what driving electric is all about.