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Just curious. I have a neighbor who works for a company that is attempting to alter the base material of auto batteries from lithium ion to a more common substance. I know that two of the largest lithium deposits in the USA have been found near the Sargasso Sea and by the Oregon/California border. But we would need 10x the amount of known lithium reserves to transform the base energy transfer from internal combustion to battery power.
There’s a lot of issues with electric power. It still needs, generally speaking, fossil fuels to create electricity. Wind and solar have made strides, however hydroelectric power is coming offline as dams are eliminated in the Western U.S. and nuclear power is essentially out of favor. Power stations are often crowded. EVs are still considerably more expensive that gas-powered autos. And foreign competition, particularly China’s BYD is intimidating.
Has there been an EV backlash?
Audaces fortuna iuvat
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Fad? I don’t think so.
I do think EVs are way over specified currently. The use case for EVs is way narrower than for ICEs and hybrids. If you want an EV you have to understand the use case and the limitations.
People have been surprised that the Ford F150 lightning EV truck crashed and burned so quickly, but anybody who looked at the use case knew that the customer base for that truck was really really narrow. The use case for a pickup truck that has limited range that diminishes substantially while towing is narrow. Some people bought them, some people love them I’m sure, but if you like to take your truck camping with a camper in tow, and you like to do it more than a hundred miles from home; you aren’t buying the EV.
The EVs out there sound like really great cars. They are just really great within a narrower envelope of duty than what ICEs can currently cover.
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Sic transit gloria mundi (so shut up and get back to work) -
I also don’t believe EV’s are a fad. ICE’s are in a stage of the technology curve where improvements are incremental–I worked for years at GM Powertrain as hard as I could on this. EV’s are in a very different stage where the technology learning curve is a lot steeper (better for consumers each year). the consumer acceptance curve normally starts with the lunatic fringe (we are past that), early adopters, and then gets into mainstream. To me we are moving into mainstream, and this is where the cute but impractical products will get weeded out or just be niche. To me, there will be an upscale segment with longer ranges and more features, a mass segment wtih shorter ranges and lower prices, and then a heavy duty segment with need for more torque and longer ranges. It is that last segment where I struggle a bit with EV technology. I know Tesla has the semi . . . but fluids are so energy dense! So whether pickup truck, semi, farm equipment, ships, or planes . . . I question battery power versus petrol or hydrogen or ???
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Currently working with a company that is developing a graphene aluminum ion battery–faster charging, better capacity, and doesn’t catch fire. Coin batteries in testing now. They produce their own graphene by cracking natural gas with plasma, forming hydrogen and pure carbon in graphene form. Pretty cool tech.
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The graphene is also being used for its thermal conductive properties, and incorporated into coatings for heat transfer. That’s where I come in after spending 35 years in HVAC. Released a product at a massive trade show just this week . . . .
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Though a start up, it is publicly traded so I have to be careful what I post. What I can say, is that I was really skeptical initially about the energy efficiency improvement due solely to a coating. But with enough 3rd party testing, I’m a believer. Great corrosion resistance too!
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Great stuff, and understand you can’t post non-public material information. Coincidentally over on the CardBoard there was a new post in the graphene thread on the most promising next gen battery potentially being graphene versus solid-state.
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I also think there is a solid future for EV’s – emphasis on future. There are a ton of issues that need to be much more thoroughly addressed. Product creation, introduction and development was artificially accelerated. There is not much demand pull for the cars other than what can be bribed to exist. The unrealistic timetable to roll out EV’s is driven by the nightmare of impending climate Armageddon. I think the market for EV’s has been temporarily damaged by the insane push to force people to buy them.
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