It really should be obvious because every conversion process is less than perfect,ergo the more conversion steps the less efficient.
Ping.
Here’s my analysis, for those who worship at the co2 altar:
The Volt has a 16kwh battery…but only 12kwh is used to charge it…its range is allegedly 40 miles…but most never see that.
The most common source of electricity is coal, which averages around 2.17 lb co2 per kwh.
So, a Volt produces 0.65 lbs co2 per mile.
A gallon of gasoline produces 19.4 pounds co2…so, a 30 mpg car would produce around 0.65 lb co2 per mile.
What can we learn from this? A Volt, which gets better than 30 mpg in gasoline mode, is ‘better’ for the environment than a Volt in electric mode.
Eelectric cars will only work if there is a constant regeneration type engine constantly re-charging the batteries.
Stirling engine in the short term, Sulfur-35 “Beta cell” in the long term.
The cool thing with a Sulfur-35 “Beta Cell” would be that you would plug it in, not to re-charge the batteries, but to feed the grid once the batteries are charged up.
But the Anti-Nuclear ninnies would flip a biscuit if they ever let use use Beta Cell tech in a consumer based product.
Does a study in China really apply anywhere else? In China, a factory just has to pay off the right people and they can pour out as much pollution as they want.
What the article says is no doubt true. But there is so much that it does not cover about the waist and the environmental impact of electric cars.