I’m not entirely an expert, but I think there are definitely issues in the modern supply chain. The worst is probably cobalt, which is necessary for the main types of Li batteries and is almost exclusively mined by child slaves. This is because of imperialism though and not a fault of the technology. There are also alternatives to cobalt although again the most widespread and easy to make now do rely on it. Its still relatively rare of a metal that alternatives are necessary.
Rare earths are not so rare as to impede widespread adoption. They are mostly controlled by China which is one of the problems for the US right now, and why trump wants to annex or somehow control any piece of land that he sniffs rare earths at (Ukraine, Greenland are said to have deposits).
Long term, learning to recycle these components is essential. I’m sure China is doing the most research in these regards.
EVs are only one part of it. Mass transit is the best way to cut vehicle emissions. But small form factor EVs like this use very little energy and efficiently accomplish tasks like local delivery compared to a car. And even with some of the supply chain issues for EVs it is still essential for the climate that we get to net zero, yesterday.
I’m not entirely an expert, but I think there are definitely issues in the modern supply chain. The worst is probably cobalt, which is necessary for the main types of Li batteries and is almost exclusively mined by child slaves. This is because of imperialism though and not a fault of the technology. There are also alternatives to cobalt although again the most widespread and easy to make now do rely on it. Its still relatively rare of a metal that alternatives are necessary.
Rare earths are not so rare as to impede widespread adoption. They are mostly controlled by China which is one of the problems for the US right now, and why trump wants to annex or somehow control any piece of land that he sniffs rare earths at (Ukraine, Greenland are said to have deposits).
Long term, learning to recycle these components is essential. I’m sure China is doing the most research in these regards.
EVs are only one part of it. Mass transit is the best way to cut vehicle emissions. But small form factor EVs like this use very little energy and efficiently accomplish tasks like local delivery compared to a car. And even with some of the supply chain issues for EVs it is still essential for the climate that we get to net zero, yesterday.