Have batteries PEAKED? Of course not, but they’re awfully good.

My Tesla Weekend ^ | 10/23/1023 | Brian White

[Jonty30]

You’d be correct. However, I am aware that the, after thirty years of research and billions of dollars spent, the best batteries are about 6% as energy dense to gasoline and the only alternative, at this point, to making batteries more efficient is to make them bigger or make them denser. Making them denser makes them more dangerous.

[Moltke]

I agree on the energy density part! Of course, efficiency (IC engine ~30 % - electric motor ~90+ %) has to be considered as well.

In any case, an IC car still fits my needs better.

[Jonty30]

The IC combustion engine is theoretically about 64% convertible to energy, with the rest being heat. The heat, of course, could probably by used for energy purposes as well.

I think the best combination, imo, is an IC engine with battery for the first 30 miles of your trip and trying to capture the wasted heat in some fashion to turn it into energy.

I don’t have anything against EV’s, but I don’t want to be mandated into them until they can be practical alternatives to IC’s, meaning similar mileage in winter and adverse condtions, while towing a trailer. Under those conditions, a pure IC only loses about 15% efficiency.

[Moltke]

The theoretical efficiency limits are meaningless for the real world. Gasoline engines are typically well below 30%, in the 20% range, and diesel engines maybe 5 to 10% above that.

Cars have water/oil cooling and large radiators to get rid of a lot of heat for a reason. If there were some efficient way to harvest that waste heat (other than cabin heating in cold temperatures) to make the car more efficient, it would have been implemented a long time ago. A turbo charger uses some of the exaust heat, but that’s a few added percent of efficiency at best.

[dangus]

My observations exactly.