Batteries do a fine job of replacing gasoline in EV's. There energy density is less but the efficiency of electric motors and energy recovery during braking make a huge difference. Only 25% of the energy in gasoline goes toward moving the vehicle. The rest is wasted as heat.
Batteries do an alight job of replacing small passenger cars for local trips.
If your use is beyond that, it gets much more challenging.
Tow a boat, camper or a horse trailer, or take long trips often, that is where the energy density of batteries
and the long recharge times show their limitations.
I do not think regular gasoline cars are up to a 25% Carnot Efficiency, closer to 20%.
I read the new Camry hybrid is close to a 40% Carnot efficiency (and gets 51 mpg).
my little hybrid maverick truck at 43 mpg is likely close to that.
BEV are not without their losses ether, but from the power plant to the wheel.
Power plant to home is a loss of between 8 and 15%, call it 10%.
Battery charging losses another 14% and another 10% from the battery to the wheels.
How big are Power line losses?
Model 3 home charging efficiency
Aug 9, 2020 — Working the numbers, one would expect somewhere around 85.7% charging efficiency.
Tesla Tells Us How It Keeps Beating Nearly Everyone in
Sep 18, 2020 — Tesla told Car and Driver that the motor in the Model S has gone from 80 percent efficient to 90 percent,
All told from the generator to the wheel if one started with 1000 watts,
900 watts would make it to the home, 774 to the battery, and 697 to the wheel.
so at that point you are at an efficiency of 69%, but depending on what energy powers the power plant,
you could easily be half of that, as any heat engine (Gas, Nuclear, coal, is likely below 50% thermal efficiency).
I wish they would do more work on plug in hybrids, perhaps roof top solar panels.
