Quote:
Originally Posted by Icedog_16
IMO, where this idea falls flat is that energy is lost in each step of the chain; the more steps, the more is lost. Internal combustion is more efficient in this respect, which is why it's so difficult to displace gasoline when it comes to meeting transportation energy needs (gasoline very portable and energy-dense to boot, which gives it the edge in practicality and convenience). With electric, you have to deal with the inefficiency at the plant (heat losses, frictional losses, etc), power loss during transmission, loss at the transformer at your house, loss when charging the battery, loss when discharging the battery, frictional losses (IC has that as well); all of those add up when talking about 'well-to-wheel' efficiency.
This might give you a better idea of what I'm talking about : The Secret Lives of Energy - The Energy Problem - Conservation of Energy |
I've been told - and this may not be accurate - that even factoring in all these inefficiencies, and the entire supply chain, centrally generating power is roughly 10 times more efficient than internal combustion. I wish I could quote a source on that. I think that's reflected in the cost of operation of an electric vehicle though.