Thread by @swardley

X : Thoughts on rare earths in batteries?
Me : Hmmm ... last time I checked, Tesla used NCA, a Lithium-ion battery with a high nickel anode 80% Ni, 15% Co, 5% Al ... but they're not rare earth. Those REs tend to used in other aspects of EV tech i.e. magnets etc. why?

X : Supply chain?
Me : China dominates Lithium, Nickel and even RE supply chains. The US has been expanding its RE mines. You'd have to dig into it (excuse the pun). USGS is a good place to start - usgs.gov/centers/nation…

X : How large are the reserves?
Me : Lithium, Nickel? Huge. The ocean is estimated to have over 200 billion tonnes of Lithium but as with all things ... the tricky bit is extraction. Is this a limit of EV thing you're after? The main constraints are extraction and production ...

i.e. facilities are growing rapidly but supply is normally tied up in contracts well in advance.
X : Hence hydrogen?
Me : The shining knight for traditional automotives? We can turn gas / oil into hydrogen. Looks great on a presentation ... terrible if you look at the figures.

Batteries, the politics, the change of industry, the technology ... it's a fascinating space. Excellent thread by @EdConwaySky -

https://twitter.com/EdConwaySky/status/1492418987107442689

(H/T @patrickdh)

X : But hyrogren can be produced from water.
Me : Yep and that looks good in a presentation. However, most hydrogen is produced from steam reforming of natural gas - sciencedirect.com/topics/enginee…

X : But it could be.
Me : Sure. Electrolysis with wind turbines.
X : Exactly.
Me : So, the solution to "rare earths" in batteries (which are not actually used in batteries) is more motors in wind turbines (which actually do use rare earths)? sustainalytics.com/esg-research/r…

... and then add on top of that, the transportation costs of hydrogen, the storage, the ineffeciency in conversion to energy and some fuel cell tech does use REs.

Alternatively, build your renewable energy plants and power vehicles using batteries.

X : The solution can't just be more EV, more batteries, more renewable.
Me : Well, that beats more gas, more oil ... however you're right, there are even better solutions.
X : Such as?
Me : Less cars. More public transport, more remote working.

X : Do you own a car?
Me : Yep, the village I live in used to have a train station but due to the fabulous choices of the market we're down to one bus on Thursday at 10:21 which returns by 13:46 .... even the daily school bus service stop 1.4 miles away down winding county roads.

X : Small village?
Me : Yep. 400 odd people.

X : Why not cycle?
Me : No place to lock up bikes at the school bus stop and our roads are often used by flash 4x4s or Audis driven by "skilled" drivers.
X : Sarcasm?
Me : Every couple of weeks you can find a brand new pristine vehicle "parked" vertically in one of the ditches.

Me : They're not the biggest threat on our roads though. Mamals are.
X : You mean mammals?
Me : No, I mean middle aged men in lycra.

X : Why mamils?
Me : I'm pulling your leg but gosh ... what's wrong with slow cycling? Enjoy the countryside etc. At the weekends, we get a lot of 4x4s with bike racks visiting. The 4x4s are the biggest threat to life, the men in lycra the biggest threat to mental health ...

Me : Rather than spending £10k on a bike, they should spend it on a Peleton and they can then wear as much lycra as they like from the comfort of their own bedrooms whilst leaving the Chelsea tractor in the garage ... in the city.

X : You're against cycling?
Me : Oh no. I love cycling. It's one of the best ways to enjoy the countryside ... if you take the time.