Given the grid is 65%+ fossil fuels, it is counter intuitive that:
A) Fossil fuels+nuclear+renewables to generate chemical/heat energy -> converting to mechanical energy -> converting to DC electric energy -> converting to AC -> transmitting over long distances -> charge & store it in a chemical battery -> convert electrical energy back to mechanical.
Is cheaper than just the first two steps in the above,
B) Burning fossil fuels to generate chemical/heat energy -> converting to mechanical energy.
Large heat engines (power plants) can be more efficient than small heat engines, but all those conversions above have significant losses.
I suppose it's some combination of coal & gas being cheaper than gasoline, but I suspect some significant regulatory manipulation (whether for better or worse) is at play here.
In other words, perhaps if electric semis are viable, it will have more to do with Regulatory Capture than purely a free market outcome.
Given the grid is 65%+ fossil fuels, it is counter intuitive that:
A) Fossil fuels+nuclear+renewables to generate chemical/heat energy -> converting to mechanical energy -> converting to DC electric energy -> converting to AC -> transmitting over long distances -> charge & store it in a chemical battery -> convert electrical energy back to mechanical.
Is cheaper than just the first two steps in the above,
B) Burning fossil fuels to generate chemical/heat energy -> converting to mechanical energy.
Large heat engines (power plants) can be more efficient than small heat engines, but all those conversions above have significant losses.
I suppose it's some combination of coal & gas being cheaper than gasoline, but I suspect some significant regulatory manipulation (whether for better or worse) is at play here.
In other words, perhaps if electric semis are viable, it will have more to do with Regulatory Capture than purely a free market outcome.