Thread by @shreyasramoji

A thread on #ElectricVehicles 👇

Since it's generally perceived that using a Diesel generator to charge an EV is ridiculous, I was wondering how the running cost of an electric scooter compare against a ICE scooter, if the EV was charged from a petrol/diesel generator.

To understand this, we need to look at the fuel requirements of a PG/DG set. Unfortunately, very few sellers directly mentions the fuel required per kWh, so I had to calculate it myself using the parameters like tank capacity, duration of running, load, etc.

What I found was a small domestic 3kW Petrol generator uses about 0.4-0.5 liter petrol per kWh, & Industrial DGs (500kW) use about 0.25 liter diesel per kWh of electricity generated.

So, bigger the generator, better is the fuel efficiency, & PGs use about twice the fuel as DGs.

Now, for comparison, I will use the example of #OlaS1Pro, as I own one. With a rated 3.9 kWh battery, it requires about 4 KWh of electricity to be fully charged. It takes me 4.5 hours to charge from 15% to 100%, with the 750 W charger. (Feel free to do the math, it all adds up)

So, if I had to charge my Ola scooter from a generator, I would require 2 liters of petrol if i use a small petrol generator, or 1 liter diesel if i use a large DG.

I typically get 160-170 km range on a full charge while driving under 45 kmph.

That means, in terms of indirect fuel efficiency, ola runs at 80-85kmpl of petrol, considering a small petrol generator, or a whopping 160-170 kmpl of diesel, with an industrial DG.

If i drive around 55-60kmph speed, the range drops to 120 km, and that's still 60kmpl with a PG.

Directly comparing this with the mileage of petrol scooters which range anywhere between 35-50 kmpl, my electric scooter would be way more fuel efficient AND cost efficient, even if it was charged from any ICE generator! Surprising, isn't it?

The main reason for this discrepancy is that electric scooters can coast downhill without draining even a single calorie of energy from the battery, and even charge the battery by regenerative braking. When an EV stops at a signal, the motor doesn't draw any energy.

On the other hand, ICE scooters consume significant fuel while going downhill and even idling at signals. All of this fuel is not doing "useful" work in terms of moving the 🛵.

Moreover, everytime one applies brakes on an ICE 🛵, the energy spent by the engine is turned to dust.

Unlike ICE vehicles, the engines of PGs/DGs are designed to operate at a constant speed where they are most efficient. They are hardly idle unlike ICE vehicles, and this is what makes EVs more fuel&cost efficient than ICE vehicles.

The cost of idling a single petrol 🛵 at signals for a month in Bangalore traffic is enough to fully charge an electric scooter and travel hundreds of kilometres. Now imagine the number of ICE vehicles on the streets, idling at signals and wasting fuel in slow traffic. YIKES

The fuel wasted by ICE vehicles could power every EV on the streets today. So switching to EV will save money, conserve the depleting fossil fuels, pollute less and help the economy. Is there a better reason to #EndICEAge ?

@OlaElectric @bhash @suhasrajkumar @SimpleEnergyEV

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