Lithium .. the eco war cry of ICE'ers

 

But wait ... don't you use and contribute to that 'Lithium Hell' everyday ?

Right now as a matter of fact, as uses of *:

... key component of long life, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, used to power mobile devices (phones, laptops and other consumer electronics)

... medical applications

... ceramics

... glass

... lubricants

.. nuclear technology

 

... along with the small proportion of the world population that use them in EVs

 

Some more food for thought**:

... Based on what is currently known, fracking is a much more dangerous process than lithium mining, but unfortunately, both seem to be essential to the world today

 

Let's dispel all those EV Myths ***

Electric Vehicle Myths: links explaining (from USA EPA) at *** below

... Myth #1: Electric vehicles are worse for the climate than gasoline cars because of the power plant emissions.

... Myth #2: Electric vehicles are worse for the climate than gasoline cars because of battery manufacturing.

... Myth #3: There is nowhere to charge.

... Myth #4: Electric vehicles don’t have enough range to handle daily travel demands.

... Myth #5: Electric vehicles only come as sedans.

... Myth #6: Electric vehicles are not as safe as comparable gasoline vehicles.

 

* https://www.lepidico.com/l-max-technology/lithium-industry-and-market/#:~:text=Lithium has numerous uses including,laptops and other consumer electronics).

 

** https://www.greenmatters.com/p/fracking-vs-lithium-mining

 

*** https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths

 

 

 

 

Quote

Lithium ... thoughts on

I think it's a fantastic song.

 

Simple, yet emotionally complex. 

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/02/01/south-america-s-lithium-fields-reveal-the-dark-side-of-our-electric-future

9 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

I think it's a fantastic song.

 

Simple, yet emotionally complex. 

One of my go-to tracks when I'm feeling blue. Thankfully the escitalopram works for me so never had to try the big L ????

" ... ... along with the small proportion of the world population that use them in EVs  ..."

 

And the small proportion of the population that take Lithium pills for stuff like Bipolar disorder. Like my little brother, RIP. 

I remember the Polestar EV that went across the Nullarbor in Australia, accompanied by a truck with a generator on board for recharging. A good thing the diesel powering the truck and generator was recycled fish and chip oil, not nasty fossil fuel.

 

I have no doubt EV's will eventually reign supreme in urban environments, it's a no-brainer. Having said that, I doubt there will be a charging station at Wilcannia any time soon.

 

The auto industry has had a century to work out how to store gasoline safely in an ICE-type vehicle. Batteries are stored energy, there's a ship at the bottom of the Atlantic attesting to that fact.

 

Myth#1 is true if the power plant supplying the charging electrons is powered by fossil fuels, because that simply transfers the pollution from the vehicle to somewhere else. Myth #1 is false if the power is coming from nuclear or renewables. The world on average is still generating 60-70% of its electricity from fossil fuels.

 

Looking at the Thai and Australian auto markets, the biggest sales are ICE behemoths - Hiluxes and D-maxes. Not everyone is convinced of how Myth #5 is relevant.

 

Australia actually mines more lithium than the next two countries combined. IMO the big change won't come with vehicles. When households and towns are generating their own energy from renewables, then storing it in various ways ( including batteries ) that will turn current energy production and distribution on its head.

A Lithium (LiFePO4) cell if treated reasonably well, will last < 3 years to < 20 years. The amount of environmental cost is minimal on that time scale.

Better to look at the environmental cost of the humble lead acid battery in your car.

Agreed there is much to do to reduce power generation environmental impact. For me the simpler solution is to get away from national grid distribution networks and make many local mini grids using flow batteries for ESS to provide night time power.