Transportation electrification is coming, but will it spark a broader shift?

[MilHojas]

Transportation electrification is coming, but will it spark a broader shift?

From the heart of Buenos Aires to remote corners of Patagonia, the electrification of transportation is gaining momentum, driven by a convergence of innovation, government support and a broad push for modernisation.

batimes.com.ar

 

[Redpossum]

I'm not sure this is a good idea.
Electric vehicles are not the great panacea they are presented to be, because -

1. Refining lithium generates large amounts of extremely nasty toxic waste.
2. The worn out batteries themselves must be disposed of at the end of their service life, and they also are highly toxic.
3. Electric vehicles are not pollution free. The electricity still has to be generated somehow, so it's just substituting local pollution for remote pollution.

These are the three most obvious objections, but there are others.

 

[FrankPintor]

I'm not sure this is a good idea.
Electric vehicles are not the great panacea they are presented to be, because -

1. Refining lithium generates large amounts of extremely nasty toxic waste.
2. The worn out batteries themselves must be disposed of at the end of their service life, and they also are highly toxic.
3. Electric vehicles are not pollution free. The electricity still has to be generated somehow, so it's just substituting local pollution for remote pollution.

These are the three most obvious objections, but there are others.

We discussed this in https://baexpats.org/threads/milei-...llarize-the-economy-for-him.47857/post-454086

I think your points 1 and 2 will become moot, in the next 10 years or so. Lithium battery recycling is improving, and with that, the need to extract and refine new will be less. In fact, it might happen before Argentina has a chance to exploit its lithium resources, given that they're in a remote and fairly unconnected part of the country.

Your point 3 is undeniable, unless renewable resources are used to generate electricity. That will probably happen at some point as well (or nuclear power will make a comeback).

 

[Redpossum]

We discussed this in https://baexpats.org/threads/milei-...llarize-the-economy-for-him.47857/post-454086

I think your points 1 and 2 will become moot, in the next 10 years or so. Lithium battery recycling is improving, and with that, the need to extract and refine new will be less. In fact, it might happen before Argentina has a chance to exploit its lithium resources, given that they're in a remote and fairly unconnected part of the country.

Frank, your optimism is commendable, but this is all speculation at the current moment. It might, and then again, it might not.

Your point 3 is undeniable, unless renewable resources are used to generate electricity. That will probably happen at some point as well (or nuclear power will make a comeback).

Nuclear power also has the problem of, how do you safely dispose of the spent fuel rods?

Allow me to remind everyone that the major reason why Fukushima became such a nightmare disaster is because there were 20 years worth of spent fuel rods stored on site, in the cooling ponds, because Japan could find no safe way to dispose of them.