How efficient is the human body?

slipss

In terms of the energy it consumes and the work it can produce from it. Like say compared to a Nissan Micra engine that can pull the car x distance for x amount of petrol compared to a human body that can run x distance for x callories. Would it be nowwhere near as efficient, many times more, about the same? If that makes sense. Thanks.

2Scoops

Mechanical work, as in movement? Not very efficient versus a Nissan Micra I would wager.

Tree

dunno, a nissan micra wastes a lot of energy in heat and sound.

Capt'n Midnight

I can't remember the exact figure but a human on a bicycle is something like 1,000 mpg.

But if the human had to drag a nissan micra around then the efficiency would drop. On a carbon foot print level , a new car is equilivant to several years driving and you don't need the thermostat up as high for a few hours after you've been exercising so the real mpg difference is far higher

The driver and cyclist will both need to eat to survive so you'd have to take this into account. To do the expirement properly you could fuel both the cyclist and car with ethanol, the cyclist would have an additional advantage in that you wouldn't have to concentrate the alcohol first