[southerndrift]

Why would a diesel generator put them on equal levels? Even if you assume that an electric engine has 100% efficiency, you lose energy because

* per amount of energy, batteries are heavier than gasoline tanks so accelerating needs more energy

* charging batteries is not 100% efficient

Is that all balanced by the generator operating at optimal conditions?

[_ph_]

A good diesel generator should have the peak efficiency of a diesel engine of about 40%. A diesel car can hit the same peak, but only at a certain speed/power output. So the average efficiency is about 20%. So there is a quite a marging for charging losses.

The weight of an electric car usually is a minor component in the consumption, most is the aerodynamic drag. On top of that, electric cars can get about 60% of their kinetic energy back by using their motor as a generator.

[varjag]

You burn a litre of oil fractions per litre of petrol/diesel output at the refinery. Something noone is eager to count in their efficiency comparison.

Also, all electric vehicles use regenerative braking, recapturing the kinetic energy that is lost with ICEs.