Same energy, many more miles

Same energy, side by side

Same small-SUV size class. Same amount of energy. Here is how far each one goes.

• 2026 Subaru Outback AWD 2.5

  27 MPG combined

  • 25 city / 31 highway.
  • 3.7 gallons per 100 miles.
  • 486 miles on a tank.
  • 2.5-liter, not the turbo. Same EPA size class as the Model Y (small SUV).

  The turbo Outback is 24 MPG and the Wilderness is 23 MPG. This comparison uses the 2.5.

  Source: FuelEconomy.gov, Outback 2.5

• 2026 Tesla Model Y Long Range rear-wheel drive

  134 MPGe combined

  • 144 city / 123 highway.
  • 25 kWh per 100 miles.
  • 357 miles.

  Our 330 miles is arithmetic from the EPA figure of 25 kWh per 100 miles. It is not a range rating.

  Source: FuelEconomy.gov, Model Y Long Range RWD

What 100 miles costs here

Local Peninsula Light rates and the Washington gasoline price. Both figures are our arithmetic.

• Our arithmetic

  Outback, on gasoline

  about $20.18 per 100 miles

  3.7 gal/100 mi × $5.453 = $20.176.

  $5.453 a gallon is EIA’s Washington regular gasoline price, week of September 28, 2026.

  Source: EIA gasoline and diesel prices

• Our arithmetic

  Model Y, on electricity

  about $2.13 of energy per 100 miles, before tax

  25 kWh/100 mi × $0.08533 = $2.133.

  $0.08533 is the middle Peninsula Light tier.

  Source: PenLight rate schedule (April 2026)

The $41 basic charge does not change because of the car.

Why the gap is so big

Gasoline mostly makes heat. Electricity mostly makes motion. Regen gets some back.

• Gasoline: mostly heat

  about 30%

  Department of Energy: a conventional gasoline vehicle is about 30% efficient.

  FuelEconomy.gov: 12% to 30% of the fuel’s energy moves the car, depending on the drive cycle.

  EPA: about 16–25% of gasoline energy moves the car.

  Where the energy goes in a gasoline car · EPA: electric vehicle myths

• Electric: mostly motion

  87% to 91%

  Department of Energy: a typical electric vehicle is 87% to 91% efficient once regenerative braking is counted.

  Before that recovery is counted, 65% to 69% reaches the wheels.

  EPA: 87–91% of battery-plus-braking energy moves the car.

  Where the energy goes in an electric car · EPA: electric vehicle myths

• Regen puts some back

  about 22%

  Department of Energy: regen puts about 22% back on the combined city/highway cycle.

  The friction brakes are used less, so less brake dust.

  DOE Fact of the Week 1360

Two things people hear

• “The grid is coal, so it is worse.”

  EPA: still typically a smaller carbon footprint.

  Electric cars typically have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline cars, even after counting the electricity. That is because they are so much more efficient.

  The local grid changes the size of the advantage.

  Look up a local grid: EPA Power Profiler. Compare vehicles: FuelEconomy.gov’s beyond-the-tailpipe tool.

• “Building the battery wipes out the savings.”

  More emissions to build. Lower over its lifetime.

  The EPA, citing Argonne GREET: manufacturing emissions are higher for the electric car, but lifetime greenhouse gases are still lower. There is no break-even mileage on the EPA page.

  ICCT, July 2024, on the national grid (not Washington): for a model-year 2024 SUV, the extra manufacturing emissions are paid off after about 11,800 miles versus a gasoline vehicle.

  ICCT brief (July 2024)

What happens to the battery

A pack is not automatically trash when the car is done with it. Some go into second-life storage. Others are taken apart so the materials can be used again.

• Reuse, then recycle

  CGTN’s report follows retired EV batteries in China: second-life storage first, then material recovery, instead of treating every pack as landfill waste.

  Same report as on Safety Events (search Recycling). Watch on YouTube.

Tesla Semi

Same idea, on a much bigger vehicle. Two films first, then the one with a career driver.

What was said, and who said it

• Joe, a driver with 25 years in

  He says it is the most effortless truck he has ever been in.

  • Loaded ride: about 30,000 lb in the box, about 65,000 lb combined.
  • Downhill, he holds speed with the pedal, using regen, instead of a Jake brake and a gear.
  • He says regen feels the same when the battery is full.
  • Kyle also passes on that Andre, a CDL holder from The Fast Lane Truck, said it held speed on the uphills.

  First drive

• Tesla, at the September 24, 2026 Semi factory event in Nevada

  • The pilot fleet of roughly 180 to 200 trucks has hauled freight for 17.5 million miles, including Donner Pass.
  • They said they have demonstrated over 500 miles on a single charge at about 82,000 pounds, fully loaded, not a shrinking load, and that customers have validated it.
  • A speaker said a half load around 60,000 pounds might go about 600 miles. That is a “might,” not a spec.
  • Standard-range variant: 325 miles, lighter.
  • They showed charging still at 1.2 megawatts.

  Source: the event, as carried in the CNET recap

• Tesla’s spec page, as read in the Priestley tour

  • About 1.7 kWh per mile.
  • 500 miles with a load.
  • 82,000 lb gross combination weight, 2,000 lb over the usual 80,000 lb diesel limit.
  • Long-range curb weight 23,000 lb. Standard-range under 20,000 lb.
  • About 60% of range in 30 minutes.

  Priestley tour

• A Tesla speaker on the factory tour

  • They are trying to hit 1.7 kWh per mile so the long-range truck can do 500 miles.
  • The high roof is there to send air over the trailer.

  Factory tour

• Dan Priestley on Munro Live

  The Nevada plant is designed for 50,000 trucks a year.

  That is design capacity, not a claim they are building that many today.

  Munro Live

• The same idea, scaled up

  A diesel truck also throws most of its fuel away as heat. On a long downgrade the service brakes can fade.

  The Semi uses the motors to hold speed and puts energy back in the pack.