[MaxWilson]

Originally Posted by Dragar

I am yet to understand the fuss about electric cars, except for reasons of minimising localised air pollution.

Instead of burning petrol or LPG in a relatively simple engine to produce a lot of power and distance with quick and easy refueling, you are:
• burning coal (typically) in a power station remote from the vehicle
• generating electricity at probably 30-35% efficiency, except in the rare case of a combined cycle plant
• transmitting it through an expensive network where you will suffer further losses
• slowly charging a car battery which is expensive, likely hard to dispose of and with a relatively short life

If we were generating the electricity cleanly, if we had effective and economic carbon capture and storage at the power station, I would understand. As it is, with the exception of the benefits of regenerative braking, I have no idea why people want to use our highest grade of energy (electricity) for propulsion when a readily transportable and stored lower grade fuel of high energy density is available. Fundamentally we are just shifting where we burn our fossil fuels.

I could be wrong, but I thought the attraction of electric cars was that the 30-35% efficiency you get in a power plant was still roughly twice the efficiency you get in an ICE; presumably transmission losses and losses in storage reduce that gain but I thought you still came out ahead. And at least then you're not strictly tied to oil, per se--if the U.S. built a hundred new nuclear plants you'd be in a nice position.

-Max