Lithium Ion Battery Powered Vehicles are BAD For the Environment
Electric vehicles,… no, we have to very specific, Lithium Ion battery powered electric vehicles are turning out to be far worse for the environment then even the naysayers shouted back in the beginning of this "green revolution".
Did you imagine, that back at the beginning of the electric car revolution that electric cars would destroy parking structures, sink ships, kill people, AND destroy the environment? There were a few people saying things like that, but they were quickly ignored. (after all, they were the real experts on the subject, not the stuff-suit experts you got to see on TV.
Battery Creation
The mining for the components to make Li Ion batteries is extremely toxic. We have people (and children) in 3rd world countries mining by hand in pits to bring us these minerals. And they do this because such a mining operation would probably not be allowed in America at all. The OSHA and EPA regulations would destroy any profit that slimly existed in building an electric vehicle.
The batteries are then assembled in China… again, because they would never be allowed to be built in any part of the 1st world. This shit is toxic.
Lastly, we don't have enough mining being done to supply enough batteries to electrify all cars as the "green" govern-cements demand. We would need 10x the material, when 2x is the best we have ever done while throwing all the resources we had available at the problem.
Producing the batteries is just plain bad for the environment
Battery Fires
Li Ion batteries have a run away condition. The more they discharge, the more they want to discharge. And as they discharge they create heat. And the more heat, the more they break down and want to discharge more.
So, basically, Lithium Ion batteries are little pyro-kinetic devices just waiting to burn a whole in whatever.
The way we get around this is we limit the flow paths of the Ions, and we limit the output current. (Tesla also uses temperature sensors on each battery to shut off any that are getting too hot.) These limits work ok in small batteries. They fail spectacularly on larger batteries.
And when these batteries catch on fire, they burn hot enough to melt steal and destroy concrete. And you can't put out the fire with normal means. Water just sets off all the Lithium, which makes more heat, and causes more fire. And you really can't smother it, because it is a chemical reaction that doesn't need oxygen.
A parking garage recently collapses due to a fire started in such batteries that spread to other electric vehicles and caused a very hot fire that burned a hole through the concrete structure.
Same thing is happening shipping these things across the ocean in container ships.
These batteries are toxic to the environment and dangerous.
Battery Disposal
The really bad thing about these batteries is their short lifespan. No where near as long as a vehicle they are placed into. And really no where as long as a standard ICE Toyota.
So, on top of these things being toxic to build, and expensive (the replacement Tesla battery cost more than a used Tesla), that is a bunch of waste that is not easily recycled. And there is very little you can get out of recycling them. Which is too bad. If we could remake them, like we do with lead-acid batteries, we would easily keep electric vehicles on the road.
Therefore, these toxic batteries are destined for the landfill… which is dangerous, they are toxic, AND lithium violently reacts when it comes into contact with water. Which is almost inevitable when it is buried.
Lithium Ion batteries which were light enough and powerful enough to move a car are not great for the environment. The minerals needed to make these are easy and clean to get. And the batteries do not last the lifetime of the car. So, it is just not worth it.
The pollution created in manufacturing is more than the ICE vehicle will emit its entire life. And then you have to add in all the coal that is burnt to charge the cars. And then add in the toxic disposal. These are bad for the environment, and it is time for us to admit that.