Researchers at UC Davis lead by Michael Nicholas have developed an online tool called EV Explorer that aims to make choosing which type of vehicle to purchase a little bit easier. Story also appears in Government Technology.

A free online calculator that will help consumers compare fuel costs for thousands of cars and trucks has been launched by researchers at the University of California at Davis.

So far, the looming global instability has not ratcheted up US gasoline prices which are generally hovering around $3.50 a gallon. But it might be a good time for American consumers to think about how well they would be positioned in an oil crisis.

The Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis (ITS-Davis) can help you figure out the answer to that question with a new web-based tool, EV Explorer, that allows consumers to compare simultaneously up to four different vehicles on an energy cost basis.

A new web-based tool dubbed EV Explorer can help take the uncertainty out of buying a plug-in electric vehicle, says its developer, the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis.

“What’s interesting [about the EV Explorer] is it’s not just about miles per gallon anymore, it’s about access to chargers, and the price of charging at home,” Michael Nicholas with the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies said.

“EV Explorer helps answer the question: ‘Which car makes sense for me?’” said Michael Nicholas, lead researcher of the PH&EV Research Center.

“We want to let people play around with [the EV Explorer],” said lead researcher Michael Nicholas, with UC Davis’ Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center. “Or they can get in and out pretty quickly, if they want to.”