by yesplease » Wed 21 Mar 2007, 09:59:40
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smallpoxgirl', 'I')'d love to hear from someone how it is possible to get such fantastic efficiency from the engine when it's function isn't that different from an ICE. I'm still in disbelief about it getting the equivalent of 1800 mpg.
Well... First off, you're not going to get useful work from all of that potential energy. Like my previous blurb stated, you may only get a little over half of that energy, which is the equivalent of 1000mpg. An electric bicycle is in the realm of ~25wh/mile, which is ~1350mpg equivalent. This is heavier than the bicycle, but it's much more aerodynamic (for instance, the CdA of a mtb rider is about the same of the CdA of a Honda Insight), so ~1000mpg equivalent isn't outside the realm of possibility.
The big difference between EVs/ACs and ICE powered vehicles, is that the lossy power generation for EVs/ACs is done offsite in large plants optimized for efficiency. While the ICE uses chemical energy onsite, with much lower average efficiencies. For the EV/AC, the biggest efficiency hit happens offsite, and everything after that isn't as lossy, hopefully. It pretty much works like this (figures are just guesstimations)
ICE
extraction/refining/transport=85%, Use in car=20%, efficiency is .85*.2=~17%.
AC
extraction/power generation/transport=40%, Industrial electric air compressor=75%(?), Use in AC=50%, efficiency is .4*.75*.5=~15%
EV
extraction/power generation/transport=40%, Charging=90%, Use in EV=80%, efficiency is .4*.9*.8=~29%.
The use (aka energy transfer) in the Air Car, or Electric Car is relatively efficient because the lossy transfer of chemical energy to thermal energy is done offsite. While the ICE powered vehicle does it onsite, and makes an already inefficient energy transfer even worse. There are also design constraints. Since the AC has such poor energy storage density, it must be small, slow, and efficient. EVs follow the same idea, and most ICEs can be the size of houses because the fuel has very high energy density. So the different sizes also throws off a mpg equivalent comparison.
These are just numbers that I pulled out of my bum and should be taken as such. But, the point is that EVs/ACs are efficient in terms of mpg equivalent because the process they use to transfer energy in the car is relatively efficient, and the offsite process is inefficient. ICE powered cars are the opposite, with most of the energy being lost onsite.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Professor Membrane', ' ')Not now son, I'm making ... TOAST!