Are electric cars more energy efficient?

Ignoramus6950 · 2012-06-26T03:08:16+00:00

I was thinking about electric cars today. An internal combustion car, burns fuel inside cylinders and producesenergy according to Carnot cycle. Say, it makes 28% of energy from thetotal BTU of fuel that it burns. Compare it with an electric car. A coal electric power stationoperates at efficiency of 33% (Wikipedia). Then 10% of this is lost in power distribution. More lost in stepping down line voltage to 220 volts. Further, more is lost in a battery charger. Then more is lost in the car battery. Then more heat is lost in motor windings and power semiconductors. This is probably by far less efficient than internal combustion andistribution of gasoline!And how is it going to reduce CO2 emissions, if more CO2 needs to beburned as coal than would come from gasoline?i

Jun 26, 2012 104 Replies

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Larry Jaques 14 years ago

Please pardon me for the brain fart. I had accidentally turned off quoted text and everyone's posts were showing up that way. First time in over a decade, too.

-- Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. -- Abraham Lincoln

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Winston 14 years ago

I'm not certain 50' is enough. Mother Nature is BIG. :)

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"Midway between the head of the bay and Cenotaph Island the wave appeared to be a straight wall of water possibly 100 feet high, extending from shore to shore."

--Winston

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pyotr filipivich 14 years ago

Larry Jaques on Thu, 28 Jun 2012

20:39:41 -0700 typed >

My German Teacher called what you describe as a "Feeby (FBI) Bankroll." She then reverse the wad so the dollar bill was on the outside "And this is a Scottish Bankroll".

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