Electric cars are now a fairly commonplace sight (well, depending on where you are in the country). The argument goes on as to whether that’s a good thing, given that they still effectively use up fossil fuels by needing to be recharged – and indeed only provide a very limited distance before being plugged back in.
Worse still though is the suggestion that I’ve heard recently relating to Lithium stocks. The metal is collected mainly from salt flats in particular from China and South America. Experts suggest that due to much higher use than previously (no doubt due to developing countries using more of the metal) and could well see a peak by 2012. As it is a major component of the batteries used in electric cars, this is a serious blow to the rising industry.
Another problem I foresee is that in the same way that your home electronics have rechargeable batteries that gradually degrade over time, electric car batteries suffer the same fate. What exactly do you do with a now-inefficient electric car and battery? Answers on a postcard…
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