Electric Vehicles vs Sugarcane Ethanol: Why Electric Cars Trump in Efficiency and Sustainability
The driving experience with electric vehicles is so superior to internal combustion engines that it wouldn’t matter if they were powered by unicorn farts; they would still suck. Gone are the days when internal combustion engines were the norm; today, if you need a mode of transportation that is energy efficient and reduces pollution, electric vehicles (EVs) are the clear winner.
All Combustion Engine Cars Pollute the Air
Regardless of the type of combustion engine, they all pollute the air. In fact, a significant portion (about 30%) of your fuel is emitted out the tailpipe as smoke. Environmental concerns aside, let’s dive deeper into why electric vehicles are the sustainable choice compared to even the most energy-efficient alternative - hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Electric Vehicles Outperform Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are often cited as an alternative to traditional electric vehicles. However, they are less efficient than battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). BEVs excel in energy efficiency and have a clear advantage over FCVs, which require hydrogen production and storage, adding complexity and reducing overall efficiency. Furthermore, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be less reliable, with incidents of fuel-related explosions raising concerns about safety.
A Buzz from Sugarcane Ethanol or Electricity: Personal Preferences
While both ethanol (like sugarcane ethanol) and electricity can provide a "buzz" for cars, the personal preference for a good cachaca versus the tingling sensation from electricity can vary. For those who prioritize comfort and convenience, the sensation provided by an electric vehicle can offer a significant upgrade in driving experience.
Growing Crops for Fuels: Horribly Inefficient
Producing fuels from crops such as sugarcane is incredibly inefficient. Let’s break down the numbers:
Solar panels require 1-2 acres of land to generate the equivalent energy that can be produced from sugarcane crops.
Sugarcane yields about 600 gallons of ethanol per acre annually. At a conservative estimate of 30 miles per gallon (mpg), this equates to approximately 18,000 miles per acre per year.
A Tesla Model 3, with an approximate range of 270 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of battery capacity, can travel about 5 miles per kWh.
Solar farms, with an average capacity of 1 megawatt peak (MWp) and a daily average of 5 hours of sunlight, generate 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy per acre per day, or 365,000 kWh per year. This translates to an impressive 146 million miles per acre over the course of a year.
These figures clearly demonstrate that solar energy, when used to charge electric vehicles, is far more efficient and sustainable than growing sugarcane to produce ethanol. This is especially evident when considering the conversion efficiency of photosynthesis and the energy losses during the fermentation process.
Additional Insights from Martin Eberhard
For further clarity, let’s look at some statistics provided by Martin Eberhard, a co-founder and the first CEO of Tesla. For electric vehicles powered by ethanol made from corn, the efficiency is shockingly low:
To fill the tank of a typical SUV with ethanol made from corn would require enough corn to feed a family for a year.
To meet the transportation needs of the US, every farm capable of growing corn and then some would need to dedicate about 100 fields to this purpose.
Sugarcane, corn, or any other plant is about 1% efficient in using photosynthesis to convert sunlight to sugars. Fermentation further reduces the chemical energy stored in the sugar, as anyone who studied the Krebs Cycle in high school biology can attest.
In contrast, dedicating just four square miles of the Arizona desert to photovoltaics could generate enough solar energy to power all the cars and trucks in the US if they ran on electricity. To put this in perspective, the author installed solar panels on their rooftop that were more than sufficient to supply their electric needs and charge their Tesla Roadster, even producing enough energy to sell some electricity back to the power company.
Considering the work involved in tilling soil, planting corn, harvesting, processing, and fermenting to produce nearly pure ethanol, it is highly unlikely that more than five gallons per acre could be produced in an entire growing season, given the author’s limited land availability in the Bay Area.
In conclusion, the comparison between electric vehicles and sugarcane ethanol is not even close. While there is some merit to biodiesel from algae, which is exceptionally efficient at photosynthesis, electric airplanes are rapidly advancing and could be the future of sustainable aviation. For now, electric vehicles remain the clear choice for those seeking an efficient and sustainable mode of transportation.