1 gallon of gasoline = 32KW of kinetic energy
30 mpg at 30mph = 32KW of energy needed to drive to work and back 15 miles each way
276 million cars in USA
32x10**3 times 276x10**6 = 8,832x10**9 KW of energy needed per day in USA, or 8.8 Terawatts (Trillion watts) of new electrical power needed
We assume this is additional electrical energy needed beyond the daily lights & heat we use today
A 1 square mile Nuke Plant can generate 1,167 Megawatts 1,167x10**6 or 1.2x10**9
That means we need (8,832x10**9 divided by 1,167x10**6 divided by 24 hours a day to charge all these cars) or 7.568x10**3 or 31,534 new Nuke Power plants at 1 square mile each of ~32,000 square miles of space.
The USA is 3.797 Million square miles so we need .8% of the total land in the USA to build 760,000 new nuke power plants.
So who wants 32,000 Nuke Plants in their backyard?
I assume that per square mile Nuke plant is the most efficient way to go versus a wind farm.
Years ago, the Tennessee Valley Authority made similar calculations and began construction on several small nuclear plants, Small meaning not as large as Watts Bar and Sequoyah.
Locally the Phipps bend plant had the cooling towers and much of the new transmission lines constructed. All the plans were cancelled.
However, Nuclear is the only renewable energy source that will be able to support the theoretical growth of electric vehicles. The technology exists to have a breeder reactor that will produce the fuel required. Such a reactor was or maybe is in existence in Oak Ridge.
I wonder why there is not development of many regional or local nuclear plants that are not as expensive or extensive as the mega plants of the 70’s
Electric vehicles use 1/3 of your 32KW figure. And your math is off by a factor of 1000. See if you can find it. (Hint, you converted to watts, not KW). So instead of 32,000 new nuke plants, using your math, it is really 10.
You convinced me! You are definitely not an engineer...
“1 gallon of gasoline = 32KW of kinetic energy”
KW is power, not energy.
The amount of kinetic energy in a gallon of gas depends on its velocity.
“30 mpg at 30mph = 32KW of energy needed to drive to work and back 15 miles each way.”
No need to try that conversion. EVs have kw and kwh meters.
A typical value is 250 watts hr per mile or 4 miles per kwh.
30 miles would consume 7.5 kwh.
7.5 kwh per car per day.
“276 million cars in USA
32x10**3 times 276x10**6 = 8,832x10**9 KW of energy needed per day in USA, or 8.8 Terawatts (Trillion watts) of new electrical power needed”
We can use your 276 million but even the optimists say we won’t reach that number for decades.
That would require about 2000 mwhrs per day.
Your nuclear plant rating is thermal, not electric.
1200 mw x .35 x 24 hours is about 10,000 mwhrs per day.
Falling asleep. You may want to check my math.