Electric car efficiency 18%

[BoyntonStu]

Battery powered Vehicle
End performance 100 required input
motor conversion efficiency of electric to mechanical motion 90%
battery discharging efficiency 85%
battery charging efficiency 65%
electricity transmission efficiency from power station to your home 93%
power generation efficiency at the power plant 40%

overall efficiency 18%


It seems to me that algae diesel is potentially a much higher efficiency renewable energy system than power grid electric.

BoyntonStu

[Q-Hack!]

Out of curiosity... how does it compare to say just solar electricity? When you consider that algae is just another form of solar energy.

[BoyntonStu]

Out of curiosity... how does it compare to say just solar electricity? When you consider that algae is just another form of solar energy.

"how does it compare to say just solar electricity? "

What is your question?

BoyntonStu

[Roland Jacques]

Good info.

How would this number look if the source used is nuclear power plants?

How efficient is a nuclear power plant???

[Q-Hack!]

"how does it compare to say just solar electricity? "

What is your question?

BoyntonStu

Well, the numbers you presented don't really mean anything in their current context. ie, how did you calculate 18% total efficiency? Especially if you take into account the last two items in your list:


electricity transmission efficiency from power station to your home 93%
power generation efficiency at the power plant 40%


I guess my question is more of a bid to compare items that are more related than just the open platform that you presented. So to refine my question; Is it better to run a vehicle on fuel created from algae or from electricity derived from the sun? Both have their pro's/con's but in the end which one would be the better choice?

Algae:
-requires less land to generate a given amount of fuel
-can still produce fuel on a cloudy day
-maintenance requirements (farming) are higher than with solar panels
-burning algae diesel still puts pollutants in the air (yes, it is a zero cost emission, but exhaust smoke is still a pollutant that we have to deal with)

Solar:
-requires more land to generate a given amount of fuel
-doesn't produce fuel on a cloudy day
-maintenance is a bottle of Windex once a month
-zero pollutants

Or if you prefer to include Grid power:
-Requires the burning of coal (at least in most of the world)
-maintenance and transportation costs are high
-incredible amounts of pollution

I know that you like to look at the efficiency of a fuel, however there is more to the question of "which is a better fuel" than just "which is the most efficient".