[NeilBlanchard]

For the purposes of the X-Prize, they chose to measure just the energy used by the vehicle. I think they did the right thing. And even if they did do source-to-wheel, then the EV's would have done even better.

Why is it so hard to understand how it is that EV's are so much more efficient? My electric lawn mower uses the equivalent of just 0.0012 gallons of gasoline in an HOUR -- this is less than a teaspoon full. A gasoline powered lawn more would burn through ~0.09375 gallons (1.5 cups) in an hour -- about 78X more.

And, gasoline has far more "embedded" energy in it than does electricity -- far more. Nissan says that it takes about 7.5kWh of electricity to do part of the refining of petroleum into gasoline (and it takes some natural gas, too!). So the embedded energy of that electricity IS ADDED TO THE GASOLINE. So, the gasoline has all of the exploration, drilling, transportation, refinement -- which includes enough electricity to drive 30-60 miles -- and you still have to transport it and store it, etc., and then you get to burn it in your car.

So, without ANY of the other embedded energy -- just use that 7.5kWh of electricity directly in a car -- and you have saved ALL of that other energy.

A gallon of gasoline contains a whole lot of energy -- about SIXTY THREE sticks of dynamite. And yet, we use less than 1% of that to actually move the driver...and about 80% or more of it is waste heat. How horribly inefficient is that?

To wait any longer to start being much more efficient -- by driving EV's, would be a crime. We are immorally using up this amazing resource AS FAST AS WE CAN, and we are completely altering our world, that we depend on. We cannot wait a moment longer. Let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good!