So, a vehicle that gets 20 mpg traveling 60 miles will burn 3 gallons of gasoline that produces 405,000 BTUs of heat energy. That is the same energy as 118.7 KWH of electricity.
Now we get into the murky area of relative efficiency, because the auto uses, what, about 20-25% of its heat energy to move the vehicle and the rest is just dumped out via the radiator. But electric vehicles are not 100% efficient either, for at the very least there is energy lost in the recharge cycle.
In any case, it is useful to work through a real-world example to get to the point were it is shown what immense amount of energy it takes to move a vehicle. No matter how we provide that energy, it is not a trivial issue. Our energy needs cannot be met by a pair of D cells, no matter what environmentalists from a parallel universe believe.
Let me quickly add that since 52% of our electricity is generated by burning coal, we must also talk about the efficiency and environmental costs of generating the energy we use to recharge the battery in our efficient electric car.
Stop using reason, it takes out all the fun..
Exactly. Interestingly enough, if you wanted to put that much energy back into a battery in an 8 hour charge, at 220 volts, it would require 67 amps for the full 8 hours. Thats more than your electric stove outlet can provide. (And thats only three gallons of gasoline).