Side tracked on electric
I read that the major auto manufacturers are hedging towards electric cars. GM state that by 2023 they will have introduced 20 new totally electric cars. Though I don’t think their motivation is “Going Green” but more about saving a buck or two in not having to worry about emissions testing during development.
The truth of the mater is electricity isn’t necessarily greener then a conventional engine. Here me out. It’s obviously not the driving ,but it’s the production of the electric or hybrid vehicle that generates more pollution than a conventional powered vehicle through out it’s 160,000 mile life; AND driving the hybrid doesn’t offset the amount of pollution and planet devastation that it’s saving by running on electricity.
It’s all about manufacturing a hybrid or electric car.
When you think about the mining for the precious metals such as nickel, copper, aluminum, manganese, all needed for the production of batteries, which is mostly done by using acids and other toxic chemicals to suspend the precious metals in a fluid, which give off toxic fumes, then extracted from the fluid and melted into an end product, This process uses extremely hazardous chemicals which some processes give off deadly toxic fumes.
I know first hand,
I’ve done in an attempt to reclaim the gold, silver, and copper from electronics. (don’t recommend it huge waste of time unless you’ve got hundreds of pounds of electronic to reclaim it isn’t worth the expense or the time).
Sulfur Oxide is the big pollutant from battery production. There is more plastics used in a hybrid / electric vehicle plastics used to keep the weight down, and plastic insulate the wires. What is the base chemical of plastic, Petroleum. Then the amount of precious metals in a electric car, such as copper, nickel, platinum, gold, aluminum used in the electronics, and alloys to lighten and maintain structural rigidity, which of course are offset by the weight of batteries.
To quantify in weight (pounds) how much pollution is generated throughout the entire life cycle of a Electric / hybrid vehicle the number would be 22 pounds or 10 kilos per vehicle, compared to 2.5 pounds or 1.0 kilo generated (throughout the life cycle) of a Dino powered vehicle.
Then there’s the pollution of all of the flat battery powered vehicles on the side of the road; and the visual pollution of the horrific styling
Sorry for the side track. I’ll keep it to a minimum
cheers
Mark