Tampa, Florida -- Higher gas prices once again have mileage misers looking for more fuel efficient cars. That's good timing for the folks at the Electric Vehicle Expo going on in Tampa this week.
The Expo is drawing a crowd of the curious and cost-conscious lured by the promise of little or no gasoline expense.
See Also: Some gas station prices creep near $6 a gallon
The question lingers however, with all things considered, are the high-tech vehicles, loaded with pricey technology, really any cheaper to own in the long run?
The answer may surprise you.
Kelley Blue Book recently studied all sorts of cars and found in the EV category, the Chevy Volt was the best bet.
They found that over the course of five years when you consider price, maintenance, insurance and fuel, the cost would be around $40,629.
The all-electric Nissan Leaf, they found, costs about the same.
But the gas-powered Nissan Versa, built on the same platform as the Leaf, would cost around $29,252. That's an $11,000 difference. Even if gas prices were to reach $5 a gallon, it would still be about $8,000 less to own over the same five year period.
The reasons? A much lower sticker price combined with fairly decent fuel efficiency.
If you also believe time is money, an electric vehicle can be even more costly. Most have a range of less than a hundred miles, unless they have a gas-burning reserve.
While the majority of EV owners charge their cars overnight, that limited range means having to re-charge on longer trips.
Currently there are only about 50 such charging stations scattered around Tampa Bay, and you better be patient if you need one. A full re-charge can take several hours.
Doug Mitchell, one of the EV Expo's producers, says it's one of the hurdles electric cars still need to overcome in order to have mass appeal.
"That's why I think most people haven't made the jump," he says, but also adds that "those who can afford it, do."
In time, Mitchell believes EV prices will come down, range will increase, and re-charging will take minutes - not hours.
But until then, the cars may appeal more to folks who also value the environmental - even political aspects of energy independence.
That's why Robert Bevil, who started driving a Chevy Volt last April, says he will never go back to gasoline. Bevil was visiting the show from Atlanta. He got here driving a Volt.
"My next car will definitely be electric, yes," said Bevil.
For more information on the Kelley Blue Book findings click here.