There is a huge global epidemic that is present at this moment, its called Global Warming. Everyone is up in arms saying that the combustion engine and the mining of coal and fossil fuels is to blame and we need to eradicate it and move towards a cleaner system that does not make pollution.
Enter electricity, we can get free power from the sun, however to build these free energy capturing devices is not free or cheap. After we have captured this energy where does that go? Into a battery of course, which brings us to our newest dilemma.
Batteries require large quantities of assorted metals and minerals
in their manufacturing process. These materials are often mined,
produced, and transported at great expenditures of money and energy,
leaving behind a significant environmental footprint. Use and
consumption of these resources also produce waste, contributing to the
environmental impact.
One of the primary components of electric vehicle battery anodes is
graphite. Graphite mining often generates toxic fugitive dust and
requires corrosive chemicals like hydrochloric acid to process it into a
usable form. Currently, graphite is mainly sourced from China, while
synthetic graphite is produced in the United States as a byproduct of
oil refining.
While running electronic devices and cars on batteries seems to be a
cleaner solution than burning gasoline and other fuels for their
operation, there is still an environmental impact associated with the
production of these batteries.
So while everyone is on the battery bandwagon and trying to curb global warming it seems they haven't taken the battery production into consideration, they are not aware of the processes involved.
In every single electric vehicle I have seen, I have not come across one with a solar powered external shell, and it seems odd that this has not been incorporated into the design yet. I also think that there should be mini turbines that get spun while the vehicle is in motion to help generate extra electricity as well. My only conclusion is that these companies want you to pay for recharge stations, much like refueling your current vehicle.
We still have a long way to go to curb global warming, and its not going to be any faster when you have greed and monetary gains getting in the way.
Scott Goerz
