Pipelines are absurdly efficient because moving liquid or gas through a pipe is absurdly efficient per kilogram per kilometer, and the energy density of fossil fuels is absurdly high.

A Tesla supercharger v4 can deliver 500 kW of power. BYD has launched chargers that can deliver 1000 kW (aka 1 MW) to a single car. Naturally, each kW of power is capable of delivering 1 kWh per hour.

What is the equivalent flow rate in gasoline? 1 gallon of gasoline contains the equivalent of 33.4 kWh (1 L contains 9 kWh). So 1000 kW would be the equivalent of 30 gallons per hour (110 L/hr), or 0.5 gallons (1.85 L) per minute. That’s 5% of the rate of a typical gasoline pump in the United States.

Plus exposed high voltage wires need to be maintained in weather and around vegetation, so they have high operating costs. Then there’s higher capital costs of making sure that there are transformers and safety equipment that step the voltage up and down and sync with the rest of the grid.

In the end, it really is that power lines aren’t capable of carrying nearly as much energy as the chemical fuels that flow through a pipe, so on a per joule/kwh basis, there’s less economy of scale from power lines.