When electric jeeps may be a good idea, 1

WHE NEVER energy is transformed from one form to another, some of it is always lost as heat energy. A more general rule is that the more processes involved in attaining the final products, the higher the energy cost.

Previously we discussed electric vehicles. Below is a summary.

Electric vehicles. Below is a simplified representation of the process:

Chemical energy in gasoline → heat energy released by combustion of the gasoline → mechanical energy of heated moving gas → mechanical energy of the turbine of an electric generator → electricity (electrical energy) → chemical energy of a battery → electricity ( electrical energy) → mechanical energy that powers the wheels of an electric vehicle

Each arrow above represents a transformation or conversion of energy that loses energy as heat.

There many arrows above. Each arrow represents a process of energy transformation in which some energy is lost, mostly as heat. In general, the more processes involved (the more arrows in our representation), the more energy is wasted.

Now note the following ( more traditional) process.

Chemical energy in gasoline → heat energy released by combustion of the gasoline in an internal combustion engine → mechanical energy of the heated moving gas → mechanical energy that powers the wheels of a vehicle

Less arrows. Less energy is wasted as heat.

It can be deduced from the above that electric vehicles waste more gasoline if gasoline is the original source of energy.

The same is true for any other fossil fuel, be it coal (made up mostly of carbon), crude oil (from which gasoline is derived), or natural gas (made up mostly of methane).

Therefore, electric jeeps and other electric vehicles may not be such a good idea in certain situations. What situations? If the source of the vehicles’ electricity are fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas. We just end up using, and wasting, more fossil fuels.

Another important note.

The fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) have to be dug up, refined, sent to vehicles or factories. All these cost energy.

A renewable source of energy, such as geothermal, is more economical. Geothermal energy is heat that ultimately comes from radioactive decay of the Earth’s primordial long-lived radionuclides, Uranium 235, Uranium 238, Thorium 232, and Potassium 40, and the planet’s ongoing accretional contraction because of gravity ( gravitational potential energy). Both of which are produced free of charge all the time by our planet.

The catch here is this: The heat energy from a renewable source of energy (such as geothermal) cannot be directly fed into a car in order to run its wheels. It is first converted into electricity. Therefore, we have:

Heat energy released by geothermal source → mechanical energy of heated moving gas → mechanical energy of the turbine of an electric generator → electricity ( electrical energy) → chemical energy of a battery → electricity ( electrical energy) → mechanical energy that powers the wheels of an electric vehicle

Overall though, geothermal energy, as seen from the discussion above, i s cheaper than fossil fuel energy. There is less energy conversion and less processes involved.

Overall though, geothermal energy, as seen from the discussion above, is cheaper than fossil fuel energy. There is less energy conversion and less processes involved.