Help! School Assignment- Comparison between gas and electric cars in terms of thermodynamics?
December 19, 2009 in Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Did you know that you can save fuel and run your car on water
Kail221991 asked:
I’m finding it rather hard to find information on this
and my searches end up being about hybrid cars
which is not what I’m looking at
I’m trying to compare the two types in terms of efficiency fuel consumption when travelling long distances
Did you know that you can save fuel and run your car on water
This documentary film might help, check it out. The name is called “Who Killed the Electric Car”.
The internal combustion engine ICE is about 30% efficient at a motor but a fairly good heater. You might add about 10% to that for diesel engines. By the time you get through the drive train efficiency drops off to around 15%. So approximately 85% of the money you put in the fuel tank is wasted.
Electric motors are about 90% efficient. Some motors have a direct drive. Some conversions use the transmission of the former ICE. An electric motor is a rather poor heater. Additionally, electrically powered vehicles often have “regenerative” braking. This return a “small” portion of the power to break a vehicle back to the battery.
Electric vehicles are an old technology that has not had the concentrated development of the ICE. Future efficiency gains in the ICE are not therefore expected to be as great as that of the electric vehicle concept.
See my answer at where I have an analysis of power available from sunlight based upon the example of a converted van.
Is this what you are looking for?