My Plug-in Hybrid Calculator

This method requires you to answer only four questions:

• How many miles do you drive per year?
• How many miles do you drive on a typical day?
• What type of charger do you have at home?
• What type of charger (if any) do you have at work?

The calculator then uses a probability equation (called a Gamma distribution) to estimate your gasoline and electricity consumption.

Details about the formulation and validation of the Gamma distribution can be found in the following two articles:

• Lin, Z., and Greene, D. L. (2011) Assessing Energy Impact of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Significance of Daily Distance Variation over Time and Among Drivers. Transportation Research Record, 2252(1), 99-106.
• Lin, Z., Dong, J., Liu, C., and Greene, D. (2012) Estimation of Energy Use by Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Validating Gamma Distribution for Representing Random Daily Driving Distance. Transportation Research Record, 2287(1), 37-43.

This method allows you to describe your driving pattern in much greater detail.

You will be asked to describe your driving on normal days (e.g., work or school days), other days (e.g. weekends), and long trips. You will also be asked to describe the percentage of miles in stop-and-go traffic and how often you charge your car. This information will be used to estimate your gasoline and electricity consumption. This calculation uses basic math rather than a statistical estimate.