EV on the horizon?

"What we need Biden to do right now, is get the hell out of the way. Get government out of our way. Let us have full access to our natural resources (mostly energy), until the EV is fully hatched and ready to go to market. Trump the business guy would full understand this. Biden, the government tool, does not."  

Slo Joe is kind of correct on one issue. The electric car is going to be part of our future. How big of a part? By 2030, folks who drive an EV (electric vehicle), will be more common than uncommon. Today, it is just the opposite. But wait - if these things are such a big "shebang", why wait until 2030? Or later? One simple word - batteries.

In my truck, I have a heavy duty battery which will give me good performance for years. It weighs about 50 pounds, and recharges every time I drive the truck. A brand new shiny Tesla on the other hand, has a battery which weighs about 1,200 pounds, and takes over 2 hours to fully charge using a 220 volt charger. Besides all of which, once the Tesla is charged, it cannot go over 500 miles (on a charge), and if the weather is very hot or very cold, the charge lasts a shorter period of time.

The new battery ideas are exciting to say the least. Many are in the concept phase right now, and have a distance to go before they are ready to "go to market." But just for a minute, let's suppose that by 2030, this battery thing is fixed, and the EV becomes a viable reality. EVs can go 1,000 on a charge, the batteries are lighter, and cheaper to manufacture.

Any problems of note in getting to that point? First off, Biden was DEAD WRONG to try and put the internal combustion engine out of business right now, by cutting off our fuel supply. We still need the gas powered car. At least until the end of the decade (probably longer). And to choke off our fuel supply, or to allow the price per gallon to artificially eclipse $4, hurts mostly the working poor. That is problem number one.

Problem number two - charging stations. Not only will most homes need to have one in the garage, but we will need remote charging stations all over creation. And the cost to do such? Lots. When is all that needed work going to be done to our infrastructure, and how will it be funded? Not by the last stimulus bill. The upcoming infrastructure bill? Maybe, although it is already estimated the bill as it exists will cost a zillion dollars. 

Problem number three - power. Will we have enough power to satisfy hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of thirsty charging stations by 2030? Hint to Slo Joe - windmills are not going to cut it. Getting rid of our coal plants this decade, is a dumb ass thing to do. Power does not come from a magic wand Slo Joe. If you had ever worked a real job, you would know that.

Problem number four - manufacturing and externalities of production. Batteries are messy things to make. Cobalt is a good example of that. It is mined in many poor countries, and child labor has been used. It can be hazardous to humans if not handled correctly. A big stumbling block for wide spread production of EV's, is the batteries. If there is not enough production or resource availability to build enough batteries, that will be a problem. If hazardous materials to make batteries are mined by child labor, that is even a bigger problem.

Problem number five - "it's not easy being green". Okay, I stole that from a Kermit the Frog song. What we have learned with windmills (the hard way), is once their service life is over, they cannot be recycled. So they sit in landfills for untold years to come. What happens to EV batteries once they are fully depleted? Can they be recycled, or will we have another windmill issue to deal with? 

Many car companies are going full bore in tooling up for new EV models this decade. Have they taken the entire product cycle of batteries under consideration? All the problems which were addressed above? Or are they just chasing the "shiny new penny"?

What we need Biden to do right now, is get the hell out of the way. Get government out of our way. Let us have full access to our natural resources (mostly energy), until the EV is fully hatched and ready to go to market. Trump the business guy would fully understand this. Biden, the government tool, does not.