Diesel vs electric, on your numbers

Should I buy electric?

Put in your trucks, miles and prices. We'll show where electric pays off, and where it doesn't. Our starting numbers are cautious on purpose; change any of them.

Your operation

Trucks

Trucks you'd replace.

Miles per truck per year

Miles per truck per year. Return-to-base regional work is where electric trucks do best today.

Years you'd keep them

Years you'd own the trucks.

Federal excise tax (share of price, e.g. 0.12)

The 12% federal excise tax on new heavy trucks applies to both.

Diesel truck

Diesel price ($ / gallon)

EIA's 2027 forecast. Today's Gulf Coast price is higher ($6.18 on Sep 21, 2026); use your own.

Fuel economy (mpg)

Typical regional-haul Class 8. The national combination-truck average is 6.3 mpg.

Maintenance ($ / mile)

Maintenance and repair per mile, tires excluded (the same for both).

Truck price ($)

Comparable new diesel day cab, before the excise tax.

Electric truck

Electricity price ($ / kWh)

Our conservative depot rate. The Texas commercial average is 8.5¢, but depots with high peak demand pay more, and public fast charging costs more still.

Energy use (kWh / mile)

Measured on Tesla Semis in regional work (Tesla quotes 1.7). Cold weather, heavy loads and trailer choice raise it.

Tesla Semi specs and charging

Maintenance ($ / mile)

Maintenance and repair per mile, tires excluded. Real-world electric Class 8 data are still limited.

Truck price ($)

Enter the quote you're given to see up-front cost and payback. No quote yet? Ask us for current pricing.

Get current pricing

Depot charger, per truck ($)

One 150 kW depot charger per truck, installed; the low end of NREL's range. Utility upgrades are extra.

Grant awarded, per truck ($)

Federal credits for new electric trucks and chargers have ended. Add a state grant here only if you've been awarded one.

See which incentives are still open

Your result

Electric would save about $180,223 a year in fuel and maintenance. Add the truck price to see the payback.

Diesel and electric costs for your fleet
Cost	Diesel	Electric
Fuel or electricity, per year	$236,923	$75,600
Maintenance, per year	$53,200	$34,300
Running cost, per year	$290,123	$109,900

Up-front cost, total and payback appear once you add the electric truck price. Get current pricing

What this leaves out

Financing or lease payments: a lease can remove the up-front cost and resale risk.
Resale value, which is still uncertain for used electric trucks.
Utility upgrades and peak-demand charges at your depot.
Insurance, tires, payload and time spent charging on the road.

Check my fleet's readiness Talk to a specialist See lease options

An estimate from your inputs and public data, not a quote or financial, tax or investment advice.

Where our starting numbers come from

NREL analysis of NACFE Run on Less (regional haul) (Nov 2024)
ICCT, TCO of alternative long-haul trucks (Apr 2023)
IRS Publication 510 (2026)
U.S. EIA, Short-Term Energy Outlook (Sep 2026)
FHWA Highway Statistics via AFDC; NACFE fuel study (2024)
NREL, Class 8 TCO study (mid case) (2021)
ICCT, battery-electric commercial vehicle prices (MY2025) (Sep 2025)
U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly (TX commercial, July 2026) (Sep 2026)
NREL, 2030 National Charging Network (2023)
IRS, Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit (Jul 2026)

Using these sources doesn't mean they endorse this calculator. Prices move; check today's before you decide.

Should I buy electric?

Your result

What this leaves out

Where our starting numbers come from

Find out before you buy