Well-to-Wheel Energy Efficiency

Grid & Demand

Renewable share of grid 40%

Flow rate 1.0×

Pathways

Gasoline ICE–

–

Battery EV–

–

Hydrogen FCEV–

–

How it works

Each lane spends the same 100 units of primary energy per second and loses a fixed fraction at every conversion stage — extraction/generation, transport, storage, and the final drivetrain. Only what survives all stages reaches the wheels; the rest peels off as glowing waste heat at each node.

η_well-to-wheel = η_source · η_transport · η_storage · η_drivetrain

Gasoline: crude extraction+refining ≈83% → tank-to-wheel combustion engine ≈25% (fixed, independent of the grid).
Battery EV: grid generation efficiency blends renewables (≈100%) and thermal plants (≈40%) by your slider → transmission 93% → charging 90% → motor 85%.
Hydrogen FCEV: same blended grid electricity → electrolysis ≈70% → compression/transport 90% → fuel cell 50% → motor 90%. Two extra conversions (electricity→H2→electricity) is why hydrogen trails EV even on a clean grid — but its energy-dense tank still suits long, non-electrified rail, ship and heavy-freight routes the article describes.
Renewable share only moves the EV and hydrogen lanes — gasoline's chain never touches the electricity grid.

Real-world relevance: this is exactly why the article cites 60–80% efficiency for EVs against 20–30% for combustion engines, and why hydrogen is reserved for routes — aviation, shipping, unelectrified rail — where a battery's weight and recharge time don't work.

Gasoline energy EV energy Hydrogen energy Lost as waste heat

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