In April, we conducted a lateral survey on how much electrek Readers think gasoline would have to cost to convince the most dedicated anti-EV hysterics to switch to a plug-in car. After receiving more than 2,800 responses, this is what he told us.
UPDATE 26SEP2026: A gallon of BP ultimate 93 octane costs $7.19 in Chicago.
I took the photo above myself in downtown Chicago last night, from the passenger seat of a Volvo plug-in. Even knowing that, I still find it hard to believe that the stupid, stupid, stubborn ridiculousness of the last few months has come to this.
It wasn’t long ago (April, in fact) that $7/gallon gas seemed far enough away to be considered the highest and most obscenely available possibility in our sidebar survey picks. Back then, as naïve as we were, more than half of those surveyed said Americans would never change. Now that we’re really here, I wonder if you feel the same way.
Take a look at the original article below and let us know in the comments.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 19, 2026
In case you missed the survey, the question said: “As gasoline and diesel prices rise, more Americans are buying new and used electric and hybrid vehicles. Think about the most opinionated anti-EV hysteric you know: How much would a gallon of gasoline or diesel have to cost them to make the switch?”
After seven days and more than 2,800 responses, the figures seem to indicate that electrek Readers don’t have much faith in their ICE-loving neighbors, but a second look may reveal something more nuanced.
By the numbers
The most surprising result was that almost half of those surveyed think there is simply no price high enough to reach some drivers. Our readers believe that these drivers are simply too exhausted and have lost some internal combustion. rabbit hole oil well and fully committed to ICE, even when the cost of fuel exceeds $10 per gallon.
The best part? They’re not citing theories: they’re citing real-world experiences from time spent in a country where gas already costs more than $11/gal!
I know I can’t really comment on this since I’m in Europe (Netherlands)… but…
Our current price per liter of E10 is €2.56, the current dollar exchange rate is 1.17 USD = 1 EUR and one gallon is equivalent to 3.78541 liter of gasoline. Which makes our current price for gas in their Freedom units a whopping $11.34 per gallon.
So…. My current KWH price of electricity is about $0.30 per KWH or $0.00 when produced with solar panels. I get about 50 miles per gallon with my current plug-in hybrid or 3.2 miles per KWH. You would need approximately 16 kwh to get the equivalent of one gallon. Which makes electricity cost about $4.8 compared to $11.34 for gasoline.
At what price will the hottest ICE support change? Here in Europe, that moment was about five years ago. And since they haven’t, I suspect they will never change, unless our (socialist) governments force them to.
JOS HOOGERWAARD
Another reader pointed out an economic reason to wait that has more to do with the price of a new vehicle than the pain at the pump:
I love EVs, but as long as my currently paid for car works, I’ll probably keep using it. Even if my fuel costs range from $90 to $200 per month, it’s still cheaper for me to keep what I have rather than buy one of the electric vehicles currently available (new or used).
When my car stops being reliable, the math will change and I will buy an electric vehicle. (most likely used)
JACOB NELSON
Other readers pointed out that the change would not necessarily be driven by the fact that gas prices reach a certain maximum, but rather by the belief that they will remain above a certain maximum – and whether the rising cost of electricity will lessen the impact of rising gas prices.
It depends on whether people think prices will stay that high. With the current price increase, everyone assumes that prices will drop again. And a car can now last 20 years.
Also, it depends on what people expect electricity prices to be in the future. Electricity rates are rising much faster than gas prices.
Eric
I tend to agree with Erik in principle, but he seems to be forgetting one of the biggest advantages of electric power over fossil fuels: the ability to make your own.
That’s a significant advantage that can not only protect against rising utility rates, but can also come to your rescue if you’re ever stuck off the grid for extended periods, as this Tesla driver discovered while stranded in the Atacama Desert.
And while this is an extreme case of survival, making your own electric fuel can be an everyday experience, as GM Energy’s Jim Reilly discovered. “This is energy dominance,” he said, describing life with a home solar panel system, a home battery and an electric vehicle. “I own the refinery and the delivery system. While the world reacts to the price at the pump, my costs are a flat line. Are you considering solar power and an electric vehicle as an expense, or are you ready to lock in your energy costs for decades to come?”
In that sense, comments about rising electricity costs may seem a bit exaggerated from an ICE absolutist. Or, more generously, lack of imagination.
Either way, it seems the prevailing sentiment is that some people will never hang up the keys to their internal combustion vehicles. At least not willingly, and perhaps how the rest of us deal with that reluctance should be the topic of the next survey.
Original content from electrek.
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