Speedy
2010-08-09 13:21:00
Actually, it would probably be more efficient if the car burned coal. Coal plants have a thermal efficiency of 30 to 40% due to inherent limitations of the Carnot Cycle. Additionally, depending on transmission and distribution system voltages, there are significant I^2R losses in the transmission process.
There are two significant factors in electric cars that I think most people don’t consider, the first on being yours:
1. The electricity used to charge the car has to come from somewhere.
2. Batteries have a lifetime; battery replacement can be very expensive and disposal of the batteries is also expensive if harm to the environment is to be avoided.
