In the USA, some Uber and Lyft drivers have begun to switch to Tesla cars. Because of the substantial increase in gas prices, they are able to do this while increasing their profit margin. According to statistics from Gridwise, the number of Uber drivers increased significantly by 186 percent between June 2021 and May 2022.
The previous year, Heidi Barnes, 34, purchased a Tesla Model 3. She referred to her as “The Beast.” She traded in her 2009 Toyota Camry for a Model 3. Heidi works as a driver in Lancaster, California. When gas prices surpassed $4, she made the decision to purchase the Model 3. She went from paying $60 for a full tank to starting to pay around $100 in a single day. As a result, her profit was greatly reduced. It was a major push to get into a Tesla as soon as possible, she claimed.
She made the decision to rent a Tesla Model 3 from Hertz, a partner of Uber, for a month. They provide a $344 weekly rate for drivers, which covers insurance, standard maintenance, and unlimited miles. Barnes was still shelling out about $450 per week even after taking the cost of charging the car into account. The amount needed to refuel the Camry’s fuel tank was less than $600. Barnes’ earnings from the first week alone were enough to pay the rent for the entire month.
Heidi receives more generous tips as a result of Tesla’s popularity in foreign markets. She used to receive $1 to $3 in tips for the Camry, but now she gets closer to $10 or $15. They’re much more giving, she said. I’m lucky to get $1 to $3 in tips most of the time, but lately it’s been $10 or $15, sometimes consecutively.
As we can see, operating an electric vehicle is significantly less expensive, especially if you plan to travel long distances. Because you would only need to spend on consumables and things that wear out over time, the maintenance cost is also low.
We talked about the cost differences between operating internal combustion engines and electric vehicles earlier this year. A Hyundai Kona Electric owner with more than 80,000 miles on the vehicle made the adjustment.
On-road in Delhi, the Hyundai Kona costs Rs. 25.3 lakh. Comparatively, the top-end trims of the Hyundai Creta diesel and petrol cost Rs. 21.65 lakh and Rs. 21.16 lakh, respectively. Eleven megawatts of electricity were used by the owner. Both at-home and public charging are covered by this. He spent Rs 91,480 in total on charging.
For the most part, he charged his car at home. You can also use public charging stations. When compared to home charging, they are quick but also pricey. He calculated that if he had driven an automatic Hyundai Creta for 80,000 kilometres on gasoline, the cost would have been close to $6.99 lakh, while for the same distance on diesel, the cost would have been Rs. 5.41 lakhs.
