There is no way for a battery to contain the same amount of energy per pound as a gallon of gasoline. The only way electric cars can get close is high efficiency drivetrains.
An alternate would be fuel cell.. but how would we get the energy to reduce water to hydrogen and oxygen? or what would the inputs be for the chemistry to produce the oxygen and hydrogen?
By the way, where and what form does most of our electricity come from? Don’t forget to factor in transmission losses in the overall equation for the cost on the electric car.
There is a reason why the GM electric car disappeared after the test phase (actually 2). One was that GM was destroying the cars to reduce their liability after the test was done, the second and more important was that the cars use of electricity for recharging was underwritten or sponsored so that people would not see the full cost. You want electric bills of well over $1300/month? Get an electric car.
Another way to look at it is: Your refrigerator/freezer is generally the largest energy consumer in the house. To run one on a backup generator requires a generator of at least 5kva in power (or about 7 horsepower). Every time the fridge powers up to keep cool, that is 7 horsepower running. Cars on the freeway require about 15hp @ 60mph (for constant speed). You add electric car charging costs to your electric bill, you will have to electrically pour that 15hp into the battery. By the way, charging a battery is not 100% efficient, it is generally around 80% in and 80% out (conversion when you use it). That means you have to pour in 23.44hp in to get 15hp on demand when driving an electric vehicle (note that I am using constant speed.. so costs due to acceleration and de-acceleration are not even being covered). By the way, I am also not considering the efficiency of the motor (generally around 90%) nor the wiring (depends on type and gauge).. both increase the charging demands.
Now compare the duration of the power usage.. the fridge powers up for about 1 to 2 minutes about 5 to 10 times a day(7hp for 5 to 20 min). Your drive to work is?? about 30 minutes each way? more? (23.44hp for 30min to 60min) Note: Comparing power demand at the electric meter here
Electric cars can be effective, but only if you have your own PV Array (Photo-Voltaic Array). To size one for electric vehicles, you are looking at around a 30KVA array. Some electric companies will have heartburn here.. you are above 10KVA which they like to use as a threshold.
Disclaimer: My calculations are rough here.. and variance depends upon build of electric vehicle, electric control system and type of batteries
BTW: There is a RAV4 electric vehicle you can buy.. but you have to get it used. It was discontinued in 2003. There is also a tzero as well as a ford ranger EV… and some others. More Links.. I could locate more.. but time for me to get some ZZZs before I turn into a pumpkin..
