17k and counting plus an outlook on my energy usage
The more I drive my BEV the more I realize the pervasive and noxious nature of ICE cars. They now seem inferior in every way.
A BEV is about 3-5 times more energy efficient per unit energy used to move its body around. To testify to that here's a look at my energy consumption thanks to ChargePoint.
We can safely add 100 % as I am also getting my energy from other sources i.e home, blink and the free charging in Santa Monica, so 3 MWh seems a fair bet. That means 3,000,000 X 3600 = 10.8 Billion Watts (or Joules).
This as I crossed 17k since March so in about 5 months.
Gasoline has about 44.4 MJ/Kg. So I consumed 10.8e9 / 44.4e6 = 243 kg of equivalent gasoline.
That would be 536 lb of gasoline or 90 galons.
But there is a problem: only 15% of that energy in gasoline above gets actually converted to useful work in an ICE engine subjected to the Carnot cycle, whereas BEV use more than 90% of the energy in the battery quite effectively.
Let's assume a BEV would be 4 times as much efficient as an ICE, so in fact I would need to consume close to 360 gallons of gasoline to do 17,000 miles, and that's being generous as it would be 47 mpg.
What does it tell us? well it means I didn't spew poisonous fumes and CO2 spewed by 3 X 90 or 270 gallons of gasoline, assuming all my electricity comes from fossil fuels like diesel which has an energy density similar to gasoline (48 MJ/Kg). Even assuming coal is used at only 24 MJ/Kg, it would still mean I didn't burn 180 gallons of equivalent gasoline in the air.
Toxic fumes that get in the lungs of children, cause cancer and reduce our life expectancy in urban areas.
So much bad effects treated as a Fact of Life until the tipping point for BEV makes us realize it shouldn't be.
A BEV is about 3-5 times more energy efficient per unit energy used to move its body around. To testify to that here's a look at my energy consumption thanks to ChargePoint.
We can safely add 100 % as I am also getting my energy from other sources i.e home, blink and the free charging in Santa Monica, so 3 MWh seems a fair bet. That means 3,000,000 X 3600 = 10.8 Billion Watts (or Joules).
This as I crossed 17k since March so in about 5 months.
That is about 5.8-6 kWh per mile.
Gasoline has about 44.4 MJ/Kg. So I consumed 10.8e9 / 44.4e6 = 243 kg of equivalent gasoline.
That would be 536 lb of gasoline or 90 galons.
But there is a problem: only 15% of that energy in gasoline above gets actually converted to useful work in an ICE engine subjected to the Carnot cycle, whereas BEV use more than 90% of the energy in the battery quite effectively.
Let's assume a BEV would be 4 times as much efficient as an ICE, so in fact I would need to consume close to 360 gallons of gasoline to do 17,000 miles, and that's being generous as it would be 47 mpg.
What does it tell us? well it means I didn't spew poisonous fumes and CO2 spewed by 3 X 90 or 270 gallons of gasoline, assuming all my electricity comes from fossil fuels like diesel which has an energy density similar to gasoline (48 MJ/Kg). Even assuming coal is used at only 24 MJ/Kg, it would still mean I didn't burn 180 gallons of equivalent gasoline in the air.
Toxic fumes that get in the lungs of children, cause cancer and reduce our life expectancy in urban areas.
So much bad effects treated as a Fact of Life until the tipping point for BEV makes us realize it shouldn't be.
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