Cheap Electric Cars? Maybe but then again maybe not. Nickel hits over $100,000 USD per ton

[longwood50]

I am unconvinced that at least currently, electric cars are a cost savings.  They cost more to begin with, and as they approach the neccessity for a battery replacement their value will plummet with the buyer of the used electric car knowing they will soon face an expensive battery replacement. 

Now yes oil has hit new highs, but oil is available in many countries and the typical cycle is for oil to reach a point where new supplies come online and the price falls.  In 2020 oil prices hit such a low point that companies were actually paying more to store then oil then the price of the oil.  

Now it is electric cars and their components time for their "turn in the barrel"  Nickel trading on the London Exchange was suspended after nickel was up 65% in one day to hit over $100.000 per ton.  

Nickel is a major coponent in the production of lithium car batteries. 


 

[Convert54]

Are you so blatantly ignoring the promotional factor of  EV?  It is not the  current economic factors in purchase price  or ongoing  operational  costs . The gap in purchase price is  rapidly  being narrowed. The  longer term  maintainance costs are deferred in debate. It is the arguable reduction in atmospheric pollution that is the  "Greta" factor and it is is real . The environmental waste pollution factor  in the production of energy sources other than combustion of carbon fuels is conveniently literally buried  in mining waste .

The overall "cleanest" energy source  yet discovered by humans is nuclear  but sadly it has also been weaponized and so made a target of the combination of fear and ignorance. 

 

[Rookiescot]

6 minutes ago, Convert54 said:

Are you so blatantly ignoring the promotional factor of  EV?  It is not the  current economic factors in purchase price  or ongoing  operational  costs . The gap in purchase price is  rapidly  being narrowed. The  longer term  maintainance costs are deferred in debate. It is the arguable reduction in atmospheric pollution that is the  "Greta" factor and it is is real . The environmental waste pollution factor  in the production of energy sources other than combustion of carbon fuels is conveniently literally buried  in mining waste .

The overall "cleanest" energy source  yet discovered by humans is nuclear  but sadly it has also been weaponized and so made a target of the combination of fear and ignorance. 

I see both sides of this argument. Yes we should be trying to move away from fossil fuels.

But electric vehicles? The battery technology is simply not efficient enough and recharging times (although getting better) are a real drawback.

What we could do is switch to hydrogen powered vehicles. Yes safety issues would need to be  addressed especially in a crash situation (but its not beyond humanities wit).

Where do we get all the hydrogen? We crack water into hydrogen and oxygen. The power to do that? Nuclear or indeed renewables. 

[Thaidup]

People in 2022 are still driving,repairing,restoring cars from 100 years ago, what would the CO2 cost of replacing all of those vehicles be?