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This means that a bicycle will use between 10 and 25 times less energy per distance travelled than a personal car, depending on fuel source and size of the car. This figure does depend on the speed and mass of the rider: greater speeds give higher air drag and heavier riders consume more energy per unit distance. In addition, because bicycles ...
Steam engines and turbines operate on the Rankine cycle which has a maximum Carnot efficiency of 63% for practical engines, with steam turbine power plants able to achieve efficiency in the mid 40% range. The efficiency of steam engines is primarily related to the steam temperature and pressure and the number of stages or expansions. [15]
To express the efficiency of a generator or power plant as a percentage, invert the value if dimensionless notation or same unit are used. For example: A heat rate value of 5 gives an efficiency factor of 20%. A heat rate value of 2 kWh/kWh gives an efficiency factor of 50%. A heat rate value of 4 MJ/MJ gives an efficiency factor of 25%.
This is higher than some other systems for energy generation. For example, the internal combustion engine of a car can be about 43% energy efficient. [63] [64] Steam power plants usually achieve efficiencies of 30-40% [65] while combined cycle gas turbine and steam plants can achieve efficiencies above 60%.
The inverse of power-to-weight, weight-to-power ratio (power loading) is a calculation commonly applied to aircraft, cars, and vehicles in general, to enable the comparison of one vehicle's performance to another. Power-to-weight ratio is equal to thrust per unit mass multiplied by the velocity of any vehicle.
Future tanks may use diesel–electric drives to improve fuel efficiency while reducing the size, weight and noise of the power plant. [26] Attempts with diesel–electric drives on wheeled military vehicles include the unsuccessful ACEC Cobra, MGV, and XM1219 armed robotic vehicle. [citation needed]
In many designs, a small combustion engine is combined with electric motors. Kinetic energy which would otherwise be lost to heat during braking is recaptured as electrical power to improve fuel efficiency. The larger batteries in these vehicles power the car's electronics, allowing the engine to shut off and avoid prolonged idling. [4]
The energy efficiency of a fuel cell is generally between 40 and 60%; however, if waste heat is captured in a cogeneration scheme, efficiencies of up to 85% can be obtained. [24] World average fossil fuel electricity generation power plant as of 2008 [25] Chemical to electrical Gross output 39%, Net output 33% Electricity storage: Lithium-ion ...