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Electric vehicles: Difference between revisions
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[[File:ghg-pie-chart.png|thumb]] | [[File:BYD Yuan Plus CRI 08 2022 7429.jpg|thumb|An electric car and charger]] | ||
[[File:ghg-pie-chart.png|thumb|16% of the world's [[greenhouse gases|GHG]] emissions are from transportation.]] | |||
'''Problem:''' Most vehicles today run on gasoline, diesel, or other [[fossil fuels]] that cause [[climate change]]. | '''Problem:''' Most vehicles today run on gasoline, diesel, or other [[fossil fuels]] that cause [[climate change]]. | ||
'''''Possible'' solution:''' | '''''Possible'' solution:''' Electric vehicles (EVs). But there are some serious challenges that must be dealt with first, before EVs can be mass-produced enough to actually make a difference for the planet. | ||
{{considerations}} | {{considerations}} __NOTOC__ | ||
==Status quo== | ==Status quo== | ||
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** [[Electric trucks]] (semi trucks / freight trucks) | ** [[Electric trucks]] (semi trucks / freight trucks) | ||
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__TOC__ | |||
==Battery minerals== | |||
{{sum|Major problem|bad}} | {{sum|Major problem|bad}} | ||
The batteries in today's EVs contain large amounts of metals that are too scarce. This makes EVs expensive and unscalable. | The batteries in today's EVs contain large amounts of metals that are too scarce. This makes EVs expensive and unscalable. | ||
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* The battery industry needs to get its s**t together and start making low-cost [[sodium-ion batteries]] (even if they aren't as good as lithium-ion). | * The battery industry needs to get its s**t together and start making low-cost [[sodium-ion batteries]] (even if they aren't as good as lithium-ion). | ||
{{minor|<br />[[Sodium-ion batteries]] could | {{minor|<br />[[Sodium-ion batteries]] are a good potential solution, because they could be built with abundant materials. But this type of battery isn't even available on the market yet. Some companies are investing millions of dollars into ''research & development'', trying to make sodium-ion batteries as energy-dense as lithium-ion. But despite all the hype in the news, there's no guarantee that this will ever happen - and if it does, there's no guarantee that the batteries will be cheap. Meanwhile, sodium-ion batteries could already be a "good enough" solution today, if we just accept the fact that they naturally hold less of a charge than lithium-ion. If battery manufacturers lowered their expectations a bit, they could be making the first sodium-ion batteries in 6 months from now, instead of in 10 years from now!<br /><br />}} | ||
Of course there are ''some'' types of EVs that ''have to'' have a long range - for example freight trucks and intercity buses. But maybe if these are the only EVs that use scarce minerals, then there just might be enough minerals to go around. | Of course there are ''some'' types of EVs that ''have to'' have a long range - for example freight trucks and intercity buses. But maybe if these are the only EVs that use scarce minerals, then there just might be enough minerals to go around. | ||
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For mid-range EVs, [[LFP batteries]] might be good enough. They're still lithium-based, but at least they're cobalt-free - and these batteries are already available on the market today. | For mid-range EVs, [[LFP batteries]] might be good enough. They're still lithium-based, but at least they're cobalt-free - and these batteries are already available on the market today. | ||
==Generating enough electricity== | |||
{{sum|Major problem|bad}} | {{sum|Major problem|bad}} | ||
Whenever the electricity comes from [[fossil fuels]], electric cars are [[electric vehicles/Fossil fuel powered|barely any better than gasoline cars]] (in terms of carbon emissions). This is the case in most parts of the world{{x|If you're lucky to live in an area with abundant [[hydro]] or [[geothermal electricity]], this might not apply to you ''quite as much''. But even in such a region, people would need to charge their cars during ''off-peak'' hours mostly. If the demand for electricity exceeds the capacity of renewables at any moment, then fossil fuel power plants are needed to make up the difference.}}. Globally, the majority of today's electricity '''does''' come from fossil fuels. Other [[energy sources]] have a hard time scaling up. | |||
For electric vehicles to save the environment, we're going to need a lot more [[solar]], [[wind]], and/or alternative types of [[nuclear]]. Any of these require overcoming some major [[solar/challenge 1|challenges]]. | |||
<!-- TODO: replace the 'challenges' link with a link to a more general page instead of solar --> | |||
<!-- TODO: make a map of where in the world are hydro & geothermal power available and not already at maxed-out capacity --> | <!-- TODO: make a map of where in the world are hydro & geothermal power available and not already at maxed-out capacity --> | ||
==Availability of charging== | |||
{{sum|Ongoing progress}} | {{sum|Ongoing progress}} | ||
{{empty}} | {{empty}} | ||
==Rare-earth magnets== | |||
{{sum|Reasonable}} | {{sum|Reasonable}} | ||
Efficient electric motors need strong magnets, which can only be made with certain minerals known as ''rare-earth elements'' (REEs) {{x|includes neodymium and 16 other periodic-table elements; in nature, they all tend to occur together in the same parts of the earth}}. Luckily, REEs aren't actually that scarce. Even if all vehicles were electric, we wouldn't even come close to running out of REEs. | Efficient electric motors need strong magnets, which can only be made with certain minerals known as ''rare-earth elements'' (REEs) {{x|includes neodymium and 16 other periodic-table elements; in nature, they all tend to occur together in the same parts of the earth}}. Luckily, REEs aren't actually that scarce. Even if all vehicles were electric, we wouldn't even come close to running out of REEs. | ||
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{{minor|This is true even if all [[energy]] were to come from [[wind]] turbines, which also contain rare-earth magnets.}} | {{minor|This is true even if all [[energy]] were to come from [[wind]] turbines, which also contain rare-earth magnets.}} | ||
<!-- TODO: Add the calculations & research that led to this statement.--> | |||