It's been reported that battery powered vehicles use more energy per mile traveled than gas only vehicles. It costs energy to generate energy, there is a large loss in long distance transmission, more in step-down to usable voltages, more yet in battery charging, and finally some inevitable inefficiency in the electric car itself.
Nevertheless, some put electric car energy efficiency at 25%, and conventional vehicle running at 25mpg at 15%. And gasoline has transmission overhead of its own, too, in the form of tank trucks. [check Cecil Adams' article at http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2759/are-electric-cars-really-more-energy-efficient]
Of course, if you live in the Pacific Northwest and use Hydro-power, bully for you. If you are next door to Nevada Solar One and can jack into that source, terrific.
The problem no one is talking about is generation capacity. We are using all the power we make now to power our ipods, air conditioners, traffic lights, beer coolers and super computers, etc. In California the Public Utilities Commission has forced the utility companies to dismantle excess power generation facilities. Surplus assets. Deregulation. Does anyone remember rolling blackouts? Flex your power now?
So everyone puts a Tesla or a Volt in the garage and then what? There is not enough generation capacity in the international power grid to ramp up even a partial replacement of the gasoline used in our cars. Would somebody please build a new power plant in California?
Anyone...?
Anyone at all...?
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