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The longer your commute, the more you save by driving an electric vehicle, according to a survey released Friday by B.C. Hydro.

The provincial power utility estimates that consumers could save thousands of dollars a year by switching from a vehicle powered by fossil fuels to one powered by electricity.

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A commuter driving the 80-km round trip from Surrey to Vancouver, for example, would spend $409 a year in an electric Nissan Leaf, according to the survey.

Driving a fossil-fuelled Honda Civic would cost an estimated $2,200 or about $1,700 more a year; a Toyota RV4, $2,519, or $2,000 more; and a Ford F150, $3,779 or $3,200 more.

The B.C. Hydro calculations are based on an electric vehicle costing the equivalent of 25 cents a litre in gasoline.

Gasbuddy.com on Thursday listed 10 gas stations in Vancouver with per litre prices ranging from $1.55 to $1.66.

“Fuelling costs for an electric vehicle are about 80 per cent less,” said Tanya Fish, a senior media relations adviser for B.C. Hydro.