subject: The Many Current Issues With Electric Batteries [print this page] The recent news has brought forth a growing concern regarding electric cars. The new auto technology is powered by an array of batteries to drive electric motors on the roads. Now, there is a formal inquiry regarding the safety of battery designs during car crashes and the time after such events.
Aside from safety concerns, there are a few other issues regarding car batteries. Here are as follows:
Range. The main question regarding electric car batteries is its life and longevity. The battery life involves the range it can travel on a single charge. Longevity on the other hand, is the life span of the battery with successive charges. Anyone who has used a rechargeable battery knows that the lifespan of a battery goes down the more times it is used and recharged. The more times used, the lesser efficiency a battery has to retain power for the motor. As of the moment, no one has an idea of the how long these power packs would last despite the warranties of carmakers with regards to this technology.
Supply. These power packs use special metals and technologies in its creation. Their basic component is lithium, a mineral either extracted from the ground or extracted from brine. There is a very limited supply of this precious metal and these are concentrated in countries such as Chile, Bolivia and Afghanistan. This begs the question of whether the world would again be subjected to the problems of the oil crisis of the 1970's and this time regarding lithium from a cartel overseas. The increased demand for the metal when the numbers of electric cars increase.
Disposal. Environmentalists have highlighted the concerns with the proper disposal of these highly toxic materials. While many experts downplay the toxicity of these products, the extraction of the metals still foretells a grim result in the immediate vicinities of the mines they are sourced from. So, the issue is not the disposal of the battery itself, but the environmental impact of mining activities to address the demand for these precious metals in the increasing electric car market. There are many programs that provide alternative homes to batteries, such as recycling for other uses batteries that have lowered their efficiency threshold.
As can be seen, electric car battery safety is not the only issue with this new technologies. The range of these power packs, the supply of its basic components and the proper disposal are also issues that need to be addressed formally to ensure the safety and reliability of the future of electric cars on the nation's roads.
