Posted on 01/31/2021 10:41:59 AM PST by DFG
For the longest while I have been asking, “Where do environmentalists and Democrats think all these batteries for our oil-free transportation fleet are going to come from?” It seems they think there is a Battery Fairy out there somewhere who will magically supply the ginormous battery capacity, and additional supply of electricity to charge them, in order to deliver us to our blessed fossil-fuel-free future.
So kudos to Wired magazine on “The Spiraling Environmental Cost of our Lithium Battery Addiction,” which reminds us that there are, you know, tradeoffs between various kinds of energy systems we might use:
Demand for lithium is increasing exponentially, and it doubled in price between 2016 and 2018. According to consultancy Cairn Energy Research Advisors, the lithium ion industry is expected to grow from 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of annual production in 2017, to almost 800 GWhs in 2027. . .
But there’s a problem. As the world scrambles to replace fossil fuels with clean energy, the environmental impact of finding all the lithium required to enable that transformation could become a serious issue in its own right. “One of the biggest environmental problems caused by our endless hunger for the latest and smartest devices is a growing mineral crisis, particularly those needed to make our batteries,” says Christina Valimaki an analyst at Elsevier. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at powerlineblog.com ...
Interesting!
I am hearing talk about $1000 in additional fees for disposal issues, when people need to replace their vehicle batteries.
It doesn’t !?????! Oh... damn.
Oh poo, there’s no problem with electricity, my neighbors teenager said you just plug it in to the wall. See how simple things are when you’re dumb.
Nor does electricity grow on trees.
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But it does swim ... one day they will figure out how to harness the electricity naturally generated by ells. Bonus: when they wear out, they are edible.
They have to get them out of my hovercraft, first.
His country is the origin point for most of the rare earth minerals necessary for these batteries, as far as I know.
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The US has a huge amount of rare earths but the most productive mine was shut down by Bill Clinton and turned into a National Preserve or some such
I imagine that lithium gets recycled
Edison Batteries:
https://www.survivopedia.com/the-science-behind-edison-batteries/
Cost $1,000- $10,000
Lead free
Most are made in China and cheaper
Very heavy
Do not discharge high levels of power quickly
If recharging happens too quickly, or current is too stable, and the battery will heat up and cause permanent damage to it
All the easy stuff has already been done.
Charging time is progressing nicely. Note that charging rate from 20-80% is much faster than 80-100%. With the onset of 500+ mile batteries, one can recharge 300 miles in <20 minutes, a reasonable rest stop after 4-5 hours driving. That’s pretty close to gas fill up, balanced by a gas car ALWAYS needing to fill at a station, vs an EV is usually topped off every morning without deliberate waiting.
Tesla is making substantial improvements in batteries, halving cost while increasing charge rate and eliminating cobalt.
But can it support it when thousands times more electric cars are out there?
Wonderful stuff this electricity. One plugs into a socket and “voila” charging.
Must be free I don’t hear anyone talking about how the juice gets there.
Oh, I know it comes from wind and sun. Excuse me.
It’s interesting what you say about recharging batteries.
I buy my AA and AAA batteries at the Dollar Store because they cost 4 to 6 to the dollar.
What you suggest requires a management process to remember how long you need to check your batteries to recharge them.
I like the idea that these alkaline batteries are non-hazardous, so for now, I’m happy to use them as expendables.
It won’t be $6/gal gasoline, it will be $10/gal or $20/gal gasoline.
a warmer climate would be a boon to humanity as well as much of nature. Buy a globe. Look at the land masses. Much of it is in Canada & Siberia. Imagine how much arable land is trapped under all that ice.
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Says a guy from Ohio :- ) I’ll say one thing, down here in Georgia, the dermatologists drive Mercedes.
But even as hot as Georgia’s July and August are, I wouldn’t trade it for January and February up in New England where I’m original from. So I agree with your assessment.
I have an entire trash can full of used (dead) alkaline batteries.
NIMBY. As long as it is the Chinese waging wars in Africa and the ME for lithium mines the idiot tree huggers sleep well. It is all magical and they know they are saving the world with their Prius.
Honestly, everything will just TANK if we go green like they want:
1. What about farming? And all that entails? Food supply?
2. Trucking?
3. Auto parts business? And all associated?
Auto repair places?
No one will be able to afford a car.
4. No more travel or industries connected?
5. Grocery stores. See 1 and 2
6. Lawn care businesses? Mowing lawns? Trimming trees?
7. All SORTS of recreation.
8. Housing industries. Getting supplied to sites?
These “greenies” are insane. Modern society will NOT function under their control! Is that the goal here?
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