Electric Cars are Part of the Solution

One truth out there about "going green" is the efficiency of the electric car. Loss due to transmission of electricity tends to be about 30% which is approximately equal to the loss of efficiency from oil after it has been extracted, refined and transported. The boiler at the electric plant has less heat efficiency losses than the liquid fuel engine. Where the electric car really gains over the standard car is on vehicle design. Electric motors provide direct energy to the drive train without the need for several gear reductions. Also, electric motors do not require heavy oil maintenance and provide power on demand, with very little start up or stop energy loss. These gains in efficiencies result in a fossil fuel expenditure savings of approximately 30%. Therefore, if we want to take a large chunk of carbon dioxide emissions out of our economy, the sooner we introduce electric vehicles, the better.