[function_seven]

> In a small scope, yes. In the whole picture, no. There's no more efficiency gain on the EV. That's it. It's at it's max efficiency and the only way to improve its efficiency is to redesign the entire system and create new technology to produce and transport electricity. Mean while, ICE is still getting improvements such as the Freevalve [0]. Not to mention how much more efficient diesel is compared to gas.

I'm focused here on tons of CO₂ per mile driven. After a century of eeking out improvements in ICE efficiency, it's still far below what we're doing with EVs. Unless you think the Freevalve is going to literally double efficiency, it's not a replacement for electric cars.

Only in the most extreme places in the US (West Virginia, Wyoming, Missouri) does the EV advantage start to wane. And even in those places, it still beats gasoline!

Burning coal for the electricity gets you 66%. Line losses and charging losses can cut that in half, and you're still beating the gasoline by a huge margin. Especially if you also ignore the costs of extracting, refining, and transporting all that fuel.

[Ralo]

>Burning coal for the electricity gets you 66%

No no, it's 33%. 66% gets wasted as heat.

[function_seven]

Sorry, misread. So the worst case is roughly par with an ICE, and the average case is much better.

I plugged in an old EV (2012 Model S) and a Wyoming ZIP code to the DOE's calculator¹, and I'm getting half the CO₂. 220 g/mi for the Tesla, and 410 g/mi for the new gasoline car.

I'm sure you can find an electrical outlet somewhere in the heart of coal country that fares worse for the EV, but that's not really helpful for the general analysis here. If you find yourself reliant on pure coal for your electricity, then you have a good individual use-case to remain on ICE. But for the vast majority of drivers in the U.S., EVs are tremendously more efficient than ICE when weighing CO₂ emissions per mile.

[1]: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?year=2012&vehicleId=...