I'm not sure where G.K.'s 430 number came from.
by Kali4niaND (2024-01-31 09:53:38)

In reply to: So it seems some sort of efficiency factor is warranted?  posted by ndroman21

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Fueleconomy.gov rates the 2022 Tesla Model Y at between 111 to 129 MPGe, depending on model. My BMW iX is rated at 86 MPGe, which is pretty spot-on based on my driving.

Sounds to me like Mr. Buschbacher's OpEd is full of bullshit.

Let's assume the 65 number from the article is indeed
by G.K.Chesterton  (2024-01-31 17:24:43)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

at least mildly off or even way off. That still leaves the question to this layman about the high multiplier being used.
The multiplier is irrelevant in determining MPGe.
by Kali4niaND  (2024-01-31 18:37:54)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

That's the point.

FuelEconomy.gov says a Tesla Model Y gets ~120 MPGe. If you divide that by the energy in a gallon of gasoline (33.7 kWh), that means the Tesla can go 3.56 miles on a kWh of electricity.

I don't own a Tesla, so I can't comment on actual driving experience, but Car and Driver's numbers (linked below) are in line with FuelEconomy.gov.

FuelEconomy.gov's numbers are accurate with my personal driving experience of my BMW iX, where I get 2.6 miles per kWh, or 33.7 kWh x 2.6 = 87.62 MPGe.

Nobody is using the 6.67 multiplier but the Oped author.
Doesn't your post a ove say the exact opposite?
by dfw  (2024-01-31 22:07:00)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

The ChatGPT explanation states that the MPGe calculation is made by taking range divided by battery capacity times the conversion factor:

From your post

3. **MPGe Calculation**: To calculate an EV's MPGe, the EPA divides the distance an EV can travel on a fully charged battery (in miles) by the energy content of the electricity (in kWh) used to charge the battery, and then multiplies this number by the fuel-content factor of 6.67. This provides a miles per gallon equivalent that can be compared to gasoline vehicles

I don't know if ChatGPT is correct, but it is explicit that MPGe is calculated with the 6.67 factor.

So is the multiplier irrelevant or not?

Of course, it's explanation of how the 6.67 comes about makes no sense mathematically, so it's explanation here could make no sense as well.
It seems that the 6.67 multiplier makes no sense to ChatGPT
by Kali4niaND  (2024-01-31 22:20:55)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

either. I think since I asked the question, it tried to make sense of it. And failed. My bad for using it in my retort.

After endless Google searches and ChatGPT queries, the 6.67 multiplier has no bearing on anything and seems to be spun out of whole cloth.

Bottom line is that nobody uses the Oped writer’s methodology in computing MPGe.
If an ICE got 35 mpg with gas at $3.10/g...
by Kbyrnes  (2024-01-31 12:07:51)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

...then the cost of energy would be $10.333 per mile. In my post above in this thread I cam up with an estimate for an all-EV of a cost for energy inputs of about $0.05 per mile. So if you just did (10.333/5) X 35, you might say that the miles-per-gallon equivalent would be about 72--sort of in the ballpark for your beamer. If the cost for the EV were more like $0.04 per mile then the MPGe would be about 90.

I would think that the MPGe calculation is prone to the same wide variability as gasoline MPG is, based on, e.g., the vehicle model, age, and maintenance history; the driver's habits; the type of driving done, the climate, etc., etc. (which is why some years back I decided to mostly keep track of my energy cost per mile versus MPG).