Electric cars: Difference between revisions
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This page is about passenger-owned electric vehicles (cars, vans, pickup trucks, etc | This page is about ''passenger-owned'' electric vehicles (EVs): '''cars''', '''vans''', '''pickup trucks''', etc. For commercial semi trucks, see the page on [[electric trucks]]. For passenger buses, see [[electric buses]]. | ||
{{considerations}} | {{considerations}} | ||
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==Types== | ==Types== | ||
* Battery electric vehicles (most common today) | * Battery electric vehicles (most common EVs today) | ||
* [[Fuel cell vehicles]] (very few models on the market today) | * [[Fuel cell vehicles]] (very few models on the market today) | ||
==Considerations== | ==Considerations== | ||
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The vast majority of today's electric cars store their energy in [[lithium-ion batteries]], which contain too much cobalt to scale up. {{x|Cobalt mineral reserves would be depleted early-on, and the majority of cars would remain gasoline-based, even with desperate attempts at obtaining more cobalt such as strip-mining the ocean floor. See page on [[lithium-ion batteries]] for maths related to this.}} Lithium is also somewhat scarce and could be also be an issue. | The vast majority of today's electric cars store their energy in [[lithium-ion batteries]], which contain too much cobalt to scale up. {{x|Cobalt mineral reserves would be depleted early-on, and the majority of cars would remain gasoline-based, even with desperate attempts at obtaining more cobalt such as strip-mining the ocean floor. See page on [[lithium-ion batteries]] for maths related to this.}} Lithium is also somewhat scarce and could be also be an issue. | ||
Every once and awhile there's some news article about some company researching / developing / investing in some battery type that will supposedly be as energy-dense as lithium-ion. But there's no guarantee it'll happen in the near future, and if it does, it'll probably be expensive. | {{minor|Every once and awhile there's some news article about some company researching / developing / investing in some battery type that will supposedly be as energy-dense as lithium-ion. But there's no guarantee it'll happen in the near future, and if it does, it'll probably be expensive.}} | ||
Scarcity | Scarcity is also an issue for [[hydrogen]] fuel cell vehicles (which depend on platinum-group metals). | ||
If car buyers are willing to compromise (settle for [[short-range electric vehicles|less ''range'']]), electric cars could be made with other battery types{{x|such as [[sodium-ion]], or somewhat less ideally [[lithium iron phosphate]]}} that are more sustainable/scalable. The main selling point is that they would be cheaper. {{qn}} | If car buyers are willing to compromise (settle for [[short-range electric vehicles|less ''range'']]), electric cars could be made with other battery types{{x|such as [[sodium-ion]], or somewhat less ideally [[lithium iron phosphate]]}} that are more sustainable/scalable. The main selling point is that they would be cheaper. {{qn}} | ||
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===Energy sources=== | ===Energy sources=== | ||
{{sum|Not green enough yet}} | {{sum|Not green enough yet|bad}} | ||
If the electricity comes from [[fossil fuels]], electric cars are [[electric vehicles/fossil fuel powered|barely any better than gasoline cars]] when it comes to carbon emissions. | If the electricity comes from [[fossil fuels]], electric cars are [[electric vehicles/fossil fuel powered|barely any better than gasoline cars]] when it comes to carbon emissions. | ||
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===Rare-earth magnets=== | ===Rare-earth magnets=== | ||
{{sum|Reasonable}} | {{sum|Reasonable}} | ||
Efficient motors need strong magnets, which can only be made with | Efficient electric motors need strong magnets, which can only be made with certain minerals known as ''rare-earth elements'' (REEs). Luckily, REEs aren't actually that scarce. Even if all vehicles were electric, we wouldn't even come close to running out of REEs. | ||
{{minor|This is true even if all [[energy]] were to come from [[wind]] turbines, which also contain rare-earth magnets.}} | |||
{{pn|TODO: Add the calculations & research that led to this statement.}} | |||
==See also== | ==See also== |
Revision as of 17:57, 7 October 2023
This page is about passenger-owned electric vehicles (EVs): cars, vans, pickup trucks, etc. For commercial semi trucks, see the page on electric trucks. For passenger buses, see electric buses.
About 1% of today's cars are electric[USA, 2023] - the rest run on gasoline which causes climate change.
Types
- Battery electric vehicles (most common EVs today)
- Fuel cell vehicles (very few models on the market today)
Considerations
Battery minerals
The vast majority of today's electric cars store their energy in lithium-ion batteries, which contain too much cobalt to scale up.
Every once and awhile there's some news article about some company researching / developing / investing in some battery type that will supposedly be as energy-dense as lithium-ion. But there's no guarantee it'll happen in the near future, and if it does, it'll probably be expensive.
Scarcity is also an issue for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (which depend on platinum-group metals).
If car buyers are willing to compromise (settle for less range), electric cars could be made with other battery types
Energy sources
If the electricity comes from fossil fuels, electric cars are barely any better than gasoline cars when it comes to carbon emissions.
In most parts of the world today, electricity is generated from fossil fuels.
Availability of charging
This section has not been filled in yet.
Rare-earth magnets
Efficient electric motors need strong magnets, which can only be made with certain minerals known as rare-earth elements (REEs). Luckily, REEs aren't actually that scarce. Even if all vehicles were electric, we wouldn't even come close to running out of REEs.
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.