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198 comments on Minerals scarcity: A call for managed austerity and the elements of hope
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198 comments on Minerals scarcity: A call for managed austerity and the elements of hope
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"The lithium-water reaction at normal temperatures is brisk but not violent"
I've seen a lump of lithium tossed into a tub of water. It was boring.
"Tesla Motors announced that the battery pack that will power the Tesla Roadster has been deemed safe by the United Nations Safety Requirements. The rigorous U.N. Testing Protocol for the Tesla Roadster ESS (Energy Storage System) included: altitude simulation, thermal cycling, vibration, shock and external short circuit."
It's unlikely that they would have been given authorization to sell the car without testing the battery pack. From what I've read, quite a bit of engineering went into exactly this problem.
Yes, and that's one of the nice aspects of electric vehicles: there are many different battery chemistries and many different ways to generate electricity, and they all work together - and with any electric motor - without having to do anything special. My understanding is that there are electric vehicles on the road right now being powered by Li-ion, by NiMH, and by lead-acid batteries.
Accordingly, electric vehicles have less of a choke point than internal combustion vehicles, as there is no one mineral or fuel that is key.
"Accordingly, electric vehicles have less of a choke point than internal combustion vehicles, as there is no one mineral or fuel that is key."
I understand what you are saying. But the point is that you have to consider the implications of metals scarcity in its complete context: if there is a growing gap between production flow rates and demand across a large spectrum of metals simultaneously in the next few decades, than there is no "safe haven" to substitute one specific metal with the other specific metal. You might get a cascade of multiple and simultaneuos substitutions where everyone is chasing after the same set of metals. So for instance there might be a large demand simultaneously for every metal suitable to make accumulators for electric vehicles, amongst others lithium, nickel, cadmium, zinc, lead.
Why are we stuck on the idea that cars can only be made of metals?
Sure there are some parts that probably are best suited to manufacture from metals such as copper in electric motors but renewables and composites could also play a part.
1854 - Henricg Globel, a German watchmaker, invented the first true lightbulb. He used a carbonized bamboo filament placed inside a glass bulb. ...
Electric Bamboo car
Please see my comment below on lithium, including the reference at the end - it looks very much like we have quite enough.