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> A 15-pound lithium-ion battery holds about the same amount of energy as a pound of oil. After you burn the oil, you can't do much else with it. On the other

> A 15-pound lithium-ion battery holds about the same amount of energy as a pound of oil. After you burn the oil, you can't do much else with it. On the other hand, you can't do much with the battery without an energy source. Comparing the weight of oil to a battery is apples and oranges. > “That electricity has got to come from somewhere. It’s not going to come from solar farms and wind turbines,” he said. Maybe not today. But in time, I see no reason why most of it can't come from renewable sources. This "article" definitely has a point of view. The alternative isn't really explored. What if we shut the coal plant down today, and just didn't run the battery plant? Then we'd have less batteries, and presumably more ICE vehicles burning fuel. It doesn't do the full analysis. It's just a spicy headline.

sottol 3y ago
Also that pound of oil gets shipped around the world (or pipelined across half the continent), refined, and then trucked some more. I could never get the exact numbers but wouldn't be surprised if takes 3+ pounds of oil to get that 1 lb into the car's tank.
- freitzkriesler2 3y ago
  I recall someone figuring out the math after everything you said is figured in. Comes to about 20% in terms of its left over energy after all is said and done.
petsfed 3y ago
>> “That electricity has got to come from somewhere. It’s not going to come from solar farms and wind turbines,” he said. >Maybe not today. But in time, I see no reason why most of it can't come from renewable sources. If only a certain state near Kansas, say a "Cowboy" state, hadn't worked so hard to deny tax breaks to renewables that they readily gave to coal and gas. If only that policy hadn't so completely changed the economics of planned wind projects that the companies planning them hadn't canceled them, taking thousands of jobs away during the midst of a national recession and mini-bust. Then they could be selling wind energy to an EV factory in Kansas. Instead, it delayed the industry by a decade or more, and now easy customers like this have to push for coal production. More "we'll burn our grandchildren for warmth if it costs less right now" bullshit from Wyoming's landed wealthy. I love that place, but man, the people in it are a major reason I don't live there anymore.

sottol 3y ago

Also that pound of oil gets shipped around the world (or pipelined across half the continent), refined, and then trucked some more. I could never get the exact numbers but wouldn't be surprised if takes 3+ pounds of oil to get that 1 lb into the car's tank.

freitzkriesler2 3y ago
I recall someone figuring out the math after everything you said is figured in. Comes to about 20% in terms of its left over energy after all is said and done.

petsfed 3y ago

>> “That electricity has got to come from somewhere. It’s not going to come from solar farms and wind turbines,” he said. >Maybe not today. But in time, I see no reason why most of it can't come from renewable sources. If only a certain state near Kansas, say a "Cowboy" state, hadn't worked so hard to deny tax breaks to renewables that they readily gave to coal and gas. If only that policy hadn't so completely changed the economics of planned wind projects that the companies planning them hadn't canceled them, taking thousands of jobs away during the midst of a national recession and mini-bust. Then they could be selling wind energy to an EV factory in Kansas. Instead, it delayed the industry by a decade or more, and now easy customers like this have to push for coal production. More "we'll burn our grandchildren for warmth if it costs less right now" bullshit from Wyoming's landed wealthy. I love that place, but man, the people in it are a major reason I don't live there anymore.