Visualizing Energy Efficiency
Intro:
This project visualizes the energy conversion efficiency of electric vehicles versus gasoline-powered cars using particle motion to illustrate the comparison.
Time: 2024
Duration: 2 weeks
Tools: D3.js
Background
With increasing concern over climate change and the environmental impact of gasoline-powered vehicles, more consumers are choosing electric vehicles (EVs) as a cleaner, more sustainable option. EVs produce no tailpipe emissions, helping to reduce air pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. This data visualization aims to highlight the energy efficiency benefits of EVs compared to traditional vehicles.
Inspiration
Source data:
I was captured by a study that compares the energy efficiency of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs), highlighting the significant wastage of energy in combustion engines. Gasoline vehicles are shown to waste approximately 80% of the energy from fuel due to inherent inefficiencies in their thermodynamic processes. In contrast, EVs utilize energy more efficiently by directly powering their drivetrain with electricity, resulting in fewer energy losses.
Final design
I used particle motion to represent energy consumption, with particle density reflecting where energy is directed. Themed colors—orange and green for EVs, yellow for energy loss—stand out against a black background, making energy use clear. A gradient from original colors to yellow highlights energy losses, emphasizing EV efficiency compared to gasoline cars and visually showing energy waste in traditional engines.
© Jinlan Huang 2024