<
https://theconversation.com/batteries-are-the-environmental-achilles-heel-of-electric-vehicles-unless-we-repair-reuse-and-recycle-them-205404>
"Electric vehicle advocates say the cars ultimately have a smaller carbon
footprint than their fossil-fuelled counterparts and could resolve our energy
concerns for good. Well, fair enough, but questions arise when we dig into the
inner layers of electrical vehicles and see how sustainable their components
are. In fact, the batteries that power electric vehicles may also be their
Achilles heel.
Batteries are the most expensive component of an electric vehicle. If the
battery pack is damaged, defective or simply old, this can lead to the vehicle
being written off prematurely. Tesla is even producing “structural” battery
packs described as having “zero repairability”.
Increasingly scarce and valuable resources, such as lithium and water, are
needed to make these batteries. Despite this, they are often not designed for
ease of repair, reuse or recycling. This has significant environmental impacts,
ranging from the mining for materials and the water and energy used in making
new batteries and vehicles, through to the hazardous waste from discarded
batteries.
In other words, the answer to the question of “Are electric vehicles really
eco-friendly?” largely depends on how we manage the downsides associated with
their batteries. Changes in how we design, produce, use and recycle electric
car batteries are urgently needed. These changes can ensure that, in solving
the problem of fossil fuel emissions, we also minimise other environmental
harms."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
