Clean Up Your Act, Or Else....

I know it is probably debateable...but IMO, the dirtiest grid power is still better than any imported oil. In my PIP I get about 180 wh/mile and 55 - 60 mpg. It is a little bit skewed because the EV miles are mostly on 35-50 mph city streets and the gas miles are mostly 60 mph+. But in any case, this means I get:
EV: 190 wh/mile or 614 BTU/mile (add 10% for charging losses) makes it 675 BTU/m
gas: 55 mpg or 2036 BTU/mile.

(basis: 3412 BTU/kwh; 112,000 BTU/gal with 10% ethanol)

This makes EV around 3 times more efficient, thermodynamically. Of course, steam electrical plants heated with coal can have a thermal efficiency of only 35-40%...apparently negating the advantage. However, this is mitigated by several factors, all mostly in favor of EV.
1) Power plants run at or near 100% of their rated capacity all the time while gas cars do not...they have to warm up everyday on (almost) every trip. While EVs run at max efficiency almost immediately.
2) Power plants are a single emissions location and not in dense cities where smog is an issue
3) The entire grid is not coal. Some is wind, nuclear, hydro, solar and NG, etc
4) Even if gas vs EV(coal) were the same, when you buy the vehicle you are signing it up for ~15+ years for its fuel source. Gas cars have NO "choice" for the next 15-20 years, whereas with an EV there is at least a future flexibility
5) buying an EV, even if your part of the grid is dirtier than others, helps build the worldwide EV manufacturing base, EV recharging infrastructure for the entire US
6) As the grid expands for EVs, most expansion will not be coal
7) A BTU of coal requires mining and transportation, not included in the thermodynamic efficiency...just like the drilling, shipping and refining of oil isn't included. Getting oil from far away places or deep drilling must have a greater energy cost than domestic coal
8) domestic coal is better than most foreign oil from an economic, security and military point of view
9) buy a PHEV and choose to use EV or gas based on how you feel today, the wind speed, the air quality or whatever


Mike

 

Not really much different on the emissions and Europe is definitely 50% more energy efficient than US on per capita and per GDP dollar basis so the suggestion that EU needs to "rapidly change it policies" which are 100% more effective than US policies has the issue completely backwards.

 

Average age of car on the road is different from how long people keep cars which is about 5.8 years.

But that misses the point which is people don't pay the $3-6K premium for a hybrid or EV to save money as they will, on average, just break even. People buy the hybrids and EV's to cut oil use and to cut emissions use.

 

Again...more short term thinking,
1) that people interested in payback will also turn their cars as fast as average
2) If the car is more expensive because it is cheaper to operate then it will have a greater resale value proportional to this at every stage of its lifetime...just the same as cars that have fewer maintenance issues.

Mike