Re:Toyota’s Chief Says Electric Vehicles Are Overhyped (2020)
by guidedlight on Tuesday July 05, 2022 @12:24AM
(#31984294)
Reliance of cobalt is already reducing.
Half of all new Tesla’s now use Lithium Iron batteries which are cobalt-free and have improved safety.
Re:Toyota’s Chief Says Electric Vehicles Are Overhyped (2020)
by nl on Tuesday July 05, 2022 @11:40PM
(#31996423)
Interesting! I didn't realize that.
Re:Toyota’s Chief Says Electric Vehicles Are Overhyped (2020)
by senectus1 on Tuesday July 05, 2022 @09:17PM
(#31995716)
>Lithium is mostly sourced from Australia[1].
Thats likely to change.. its only mostly sourced here because we have the skills and infrastructure AND its fairly easy to get to.
the industry is already looking at many other places around the world that have easy to get to resource bodies but not the skills and infrastructure. Those last two are very easy to transfer and build. Lithium mining also wont slow down if Hydrogen goes gangbusters (I'm bullish on Hydrogen)...
Lithium batteries are almost completely recyclable now but aren't for reasons: include[ing] technical constraints, economic barriers, logistic issues, and regulatory gaps[2]
Recycling batteries would be one of the great steps forward in environmental progress. It would also reduce dependency on cobalt mining, which is currently done in Congo where your concerns about "destructive mining and crazy foreign policies" are fully justified.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_lithium_p...
[2] https://cen.acs.org/materials/energy-storage/time-serious-re...