[pm90]

> but I would be amazed if mechanically transporting batteries down a road were more efficient than a wire.

It is, because it doesn't require building a fucking electric pole (or run it underground: more expensive) and making sure its not cut by external factors.

[kazinator]

Suppose that a vehicle carrying a 1Ah battery passes a given point on the freeway every second.

That's like 3600A of current!

(Well, except that both positive and negative charges are present, so it's like two 3600A currents in opposite directions which cancel.)

[zhjansbnas]

The poles have already been built. This would only be relevant if we were considering building new construction that isn’t connected to the grid, or letting existing grid infrastructure fall apart completely. In this analogy, the wires and poles map to the road the car is driving on.