[1] Of course there is a semantic issue at play here as well: efficiency referring to both range/energy as well as power out/power in, and whether anyone actually has the right to drive a 845 hp cybertruck around in the midst of a climate crisis and global mass extinction when ~100 bhp ought to be enough for almost all commuting/leisure use.
> diesel ICEV ranges from 25 % to 37 %
> The EV fed by a natural gas power plant shows the highest WTW efficiency which ranges from 13 % to 31 %
> While the EV supplied by coal-fired and diesel power plants have approximately the same WTW efficiency ranging between 13 % to 27 % and 12 % to 25 %, respectively
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020SJRUE..24..669A/abstra...
a) Regulate the half-dozen coal plants in the country to clean up their shit and install scrubbers
b) Somehow force 100k already sold ICE vehicles to install aftermarket pollution reduction doodads
My point is not “we shouldn’t do evs” and more we are taking too long to electrify cars and this leaves out trucks, ships, and most trains (at least in the US). But that lack of electrification is outmatched by our inability to decarbonize the energy grid worldwide - with the decrease of % energy nuclear, it’s been met with increase in natural gas despite massive spikes in wind and solar. Additionally, since energy demands grow every year (eg electric cars now demand electricity from the grid) total energy is growing which means that despite increasing solar and wind, fossil fuel production has gained market share and total fossil fuel production has also grown. In no way is our grid energy production on a positive direction to becoming decarbonized.
Look at what happens to the % of fossil fuels when nuclear energy mix shrinks over time even as solar and wind increase drastically: https://ourworldindata.org/electricity-mix
Looks like maybe solar/wind are able to take market share from coal (likely because regulations and popular opinions have made less profitable), a decrease in nuclear is directly correlated with an increase in natural gas usage. That’s pretty telling to me.
Also, nuclear is the only energy source that can generate enough energy to make carbon recapture possible and doesn’t come with unsolved energy storage requirements for the grid.
Segment D (large), a class with 36 entries (albeit with some apparent duplications):
- Model 3 is the most efficient, and the Model 3 long range is the joint third-most efficient
- Model Y is the seventh-most efficient, and subjectively the most efficient 'SUV-shaped' (i.e. higher roof, less aero) in the class. The MY LR is ~13th most efficient.
Segment F (luxury), a class with 60 entries (albeit with some apparent duplications):
- Model S is 3rd (dual motor) and 6th (Plaid) most efficient
- Model X is mid-pack, but again subjectively the most efficient large 'SUV-shaped' car in the class.
I'd also add that while I don't follow the EV space closely, a good proportion of Tesla's frequent car updates are focussed on improving efficieny - aero, heat-pumps, etc.