Soaring gasoline prices attract worldwide attention Don't underestimate the power of "minicars"! Commentary by an expert

How far will it go... (C) Nikkan Gendai

What will happen to gas prices in the future? Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, crude oil futures prices temporarily topped $100 per barrel on the 24th. Japan, the United States, and other countries have come up with measures to curb price increases, but depending on the war situation and the turmoil in Russia, a resource-rich country, these measures may not be very effective. The car is what I'm worried about. Should I switch to a more fuel-efficient model? We asked Akira Yokota, an automobile journalist. Ask President Shiro Sato about the "hoken note" program launched by Saison Automobile and Fire Insurance ◇◇◇ According to the Petroleum Information Center, the national average regular gasoline price announced on the 24th was 172 yen per liter. Kyushu is 176 yen, Okinawa is 178 yen, and there are areas close to 180 yen. Due to the continuing high price of oil, the government has introduced a drastic change mitigation measure that will pay up to 5 yen per liter to oil companies and others when the price rises above 170 yen per liter. The subsidy has already reached the upper limit of 5 yen, but due to the Ukraine problem, it has announced a policy to increase the subsidy to a maximum of 25 yen. "Oil is stockpiled nationally, and we currently have enough for 240 days." With stockpiles of liquefied natural gas, Prime Minister Kishida stressed that "there will be no major immediate problems with the stable supply of energy." Even if there is no disruption in supply, there will be no small impact on prices. That's why I want to reconsider the fuel consumption of the car.

The electricity consumption of the Leaf is 20,000 yen cheaper than the Prius

Use the app to find EV charging locations

Electric vehicles (EV) represented by the Nissan Leaf are gaining attention at once. It does not use gasoline and is powered by a drive battery motor (auxiliary batteries are used for audio, air conditioners, etc.). In the case of the Leaf, there are two types of battery capacities: 40 kWh and 62 kWh. The larger the capacity, the longer the cruising range. When running in the international standard WLTC mode, it is 322 km and 458 km, respectively. From Tokyo, both can reach Nagoya with one charge, but Osaka is tough even for large types. "What about the all-important electricity cost?" With a capacity of 40 kWh, 8.05 kg per kWh. Assuming that you drive 10,000 kilometers a year under these conditions and that the charge for charging at home is ¥25 per kilowatt-hour, the amount of electricity required to run 10,000 kilometers is 1,242 kilowatt-hours. Ten thousand yen. On the other hand, what about the Toyota Prius, a representative hybrid vehicle (HV) that combines gasoline and electricity? The maximum fuel efficiency is 32.1 kilometers per liter of gasoline, and about 312 liters are required for 10,000 kilometers. If the current gasoline price is 172 yen per liter, it will be 53,664 yen. "I see, the electricity cost of EVs is cheap." Furthermore, EVs without an engine do not require replacement of engine oil or oil equipment. Compared to the type with an engine, the maintenance cost is also much cheaper. ■Due to deterioration of the battery, even a fully charged car is 70% of what it was when newEven the Prius is inferior to EV's electricity consumption. The difference is even greater with a gasoline-powered vehicle with a fuel efficiency of about 15 kilometers per liter, about 115,000 yen, or 3.7 times that of an EV. It is understandable that EVs are attracting attention now that oil prices are high, but there is a blind spot. “As you know, the lithium-ion batteries used in EVs deteriorate the more they are used on smartphones. There is a warranty system for battery replacement, but if you go beyond that range and pay yourself, in some cases it will cost you close to 1 million yen.You can change your car every 10 years like a gasoline car, or drive more than 50 kilometers one way for commuting. I don't recommend it to those who do."　The EV battery warranty is for 8 years from new car registration or 160,000 km mileage, whichever comes first, and after replacement, 70% of the battery capacity is the market price. In the case of the aforementioned Leaf, the mileage at 70% falls to 225km and 321km respectively. A person who commute 50km each way needs to charge once every 2-3 days. This is troublesome. “Even though EV lithium-ion batteries have improved, normal charging takes 8 hours, and fast charging takes more than 30 minutes. The Prius starts at around 2 million yen, but the Leaf exceeds 3 million yen. The price difference is the battery. And the reason why the mileage is shorter than that of a gasoline car is also due to the performance of the battery.The more people who ride a lot, the less convenient it is to use.In this situation, EVs are recommended because they are mainly used for city driving and do not drive much, and the battery deteriorates. People who don't pass the vehicle inspection for the first 3 years and switch cars.If such a person buys it, it will definitely be made in Japan.There have been reports of battery fires in overseas EVs, but the Leaf has zero accidents.This fact is true. would be heavy