You're not mentioning the considerable losses in generation of electricity and distribution of electricity over long distances. Per gallon of fuel, if my memory serves correctly, that brings the efficiency down close to current automobiles. What it does do is put all the combustion in one place which could be a good thing. Another big problem is that the current electrical distribution infrastructure is in most places already loaded to near capacity. We would have to do considerable upgrading of that whole network. -Hans ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Dixon" <Jahsurf@AOL.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 11:02 AM Subject: vw news
> Andrew > I know you're a pretty engineering savvy dude, but I have to take exception > to your statement that electric technology in cars only shifts the pollution to > power plants. That's a misconception that opponents of the technology, > including automakers, spread with a great deal of success, and it's only partially > true. Sure there are increased emissions, at a power plant from charging up an > EV, but electric motors are so, so, so much more efficient than internal > combustion engines (ICE's) that there are considerably less end result -- ie power > plant emissions per car than with every car running an ICE. I've written about > EV's at some length for the NYTimes, and if my memory serves, when you figure > up the cost per mile of gasoline vs electric, drivers of EV's pay something > on the order of the equivalent of 45 cents per gallon. But that still doesn't > necessarily tell you anything about the actual efficiency of the motor -- a > typical electric motor is up to 85 percent efficient, and generally no less than > 50. An excellent gas motor struggles to find 30 percent efficiency as most of > its energy goes up in the air or thru the radiator as heat. Electric motors > generate way, way less heat and 100 percent torque from zero to max RPMs. With > regards to diesel or EV's, if you're driving with biodiesel or solar or wind > power, you're not generating any excess greenhouse gasses. The newest common > rail diesels are also remarkably clean. That's not to say that I necessarily > think VW is moving in the right direction domestically. > CD! > |
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