About Electric Vehicles
Benefits
1. Savings
• Charging at home is like paying $1.79/gallon for gasoline.*
• Gasoline cars have thousands more parts to maintain than EVs.
2. Convenience
• Charge at home or work. Never visit a gas station again.
• Fewer service appointments
3. Safety
• Less rollover risk
• No gasoline and no fumes
• Better traction in winter
• Safely merge into traffic with confidence
4. Performance
• Stable cornering
• Accelerate without hesitation
5. Comfort
• Quiet ride
• Cabin warms without waiting for the engine to warm up.
Two Types of Electric Vehicles
1. All-electric vehicles (aka battery electric vehicles or BEVs) run solely on electricity stored in a battery.
2. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. They have both a gas tank and a battery. Unlike hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), PHEVs can be plugged in to charge. PHEVs are not eligible for Efficiency Maine EV rebates.
Range
The average range of new all-electric vehicles is about 300 miles on a fully charged battery. Several vehicle models are rated for over 400 miles of range.**
Most plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have less than 100 miles of electric range, plus 300-400 miles of gasoline range.
* A 2026 Tesla Model Y (4.28 miles/kWh) using $.26/kWh electricity would cost the same per mile as a 2025 Toyota RAV4 (30-mpg) using $1.79/gallon gasoline, according to Efficiency Maine’s Compare Driving Costs Calculator as of 7/30/2026.
** Coltura as of 4/7/2026
Financial Examples
With our current rebates for moderate-income individuals, both new and used EVs can cost less than a comparable gasoline vehicle. See comparison below.
Note: Situations may differ. See footnotes for assumptions.
Used
| Electric Vehicle 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric |
Gasoline 2023 Hyundai Kona |
|
|---|---|---|
| EPA Range (miles) | 258 | 400 |
| Price 1 | $20,334 | $20,725 |
| Efficiency Maine Rebate (moderate income) | $2,000 | N/A |
| Net Price | $18,334 | $20,725 |
| Monthly Payment 3 | $313 | $353 |
| Monthly Fuel 4 | $91 | $156 |
| Monthly Maintenance 5 | $121 | $146 |
| Net Monthly Cost 6 | $525/month | $655/month |
| Net Annual Cost 6 | $6,295/year | $7,864/year |
New
| Electric Vehicle 2026 Subaru Trailseeker |
Gasoline Vehicle 2026 Subaru Outback |
|
|---|---|---|
| EPA Range (miles) | 281 | 450 |
| Price 2 | $39,995 | $34,995 |
| Efficiency Maine Rebate (moderate income) | $5,000 | N/A |
| Net Price | $34,995 | $34,995 |
| Monthly Payment 3 | $597 | $597 |
| Monthly Fuel 4 | $98 | $185 |
| Monthly Maintenance 5 | $121 | $146 |
| Net Monthly Cost 6 | $815/month | $928/month |
| Net Annual Cost 6 | $9,782/year | $11,132/year |
1 Average price as of 8/28/2026, Cargurus
2 subaru.com as of 8/28/2026
3 $0 down, 7% APR, 72 month loan term
4 Assuming 15,000 miles / year. Assuming a 2023 Hyundai Kona EV (28kWh/100-mile) using $0.26/kWh electricity; a 2023 Hyundai Kona (32-mpg) using $4.00/gallon gasoline; a 2026 Subaru Trailseeker (30kWh/100-mile) using $0.26/kWh electricity; and a 2026 Subaru Outback (27-mpg) using $4.00/gallon gasoline.
5 Average for top-selling compact SUVs, AAA as of September 2025
6 After fuel and service