Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4
I bought a Nissan leaf.
If happen to charge it with mostly natural gas then the power likely came from a natural gas combined cycle plant which can easily be 50% efficient.
If it's from a coal plant, less than 38%.
For wind power I'm just going to say it's about 100% efficient.
In Europe they seem to have figured out how to use waste heat for home heating, but in the US no one really seems interested.
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This is a very pertinent point. An EV may be 80-90% efficient from outlet to road miles, but there's also the efficiency of power plants to account for, and transmission of that power.
Honda and Toyota both have engines which can make 40% of energy in gasoline usable.
How does one compare the fuel "efficiency" of a solar panel or hydro?
Cost per mile is one way of looking at things, but over what period do you calculate it? A projected lifespan of the vehicle? Do you calculate only cost you have to pay, or should overall cost of production and disposal (and even pollution) be accounted for?