The Dark Side of EVs : A Critical look at the Unintended Consequences of Electrification

Cars have come to be an integral part of our  life. A world without cars is beyond a reality that we can grasp. How did they evolve  from early steam-powered vehicles to the sophisticated Electric vehicles we drive today and  are they truly a Green and Sustainable solution? Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot’s Steam-powered Fardier  à vapeur was the first self-propelled vehicle in the world. He was tasked with creating  the first steam engine, which powered a piston within a cylinder by steam at a pressure 

greater than that of the atmosphere. In 1770, the machine was displayed in France towing a  five-ton artillery cannon. Even though the vehicle was slow and sluggish it created the stepping  stone for advancements in Automotive Engineering. The late 19th century saw the birth of the next  significant milestone in Automobiles with the introduction of Gasoline powered cars. Carl Benz  submitted a patent application on January 29, 1886, for his “vehicle powered by a gasoline  engine.” These cars we

re more efficient, reliable, and quicker than the Steam-powered cars. Henry Ford was one of the  most significant individuals in the early automobile business.  Ford invented the assembly line, which completely changed the way automobiles  were built. Ford was able to make automobiles considerably faster and more effectively  than his rivals thanks to the assembly line. The Model T, which Ford unveiled in 1908, was  the first car that was genuinely affordable. The Model T was a straightforward,

dependable  vehicle that was ideal for the typical family. The mid-20th century was seen as the height of  the automobile. During the industry’s heyday, American automakers controlled the market.  Popular automobiles that represented the American dream were the Pontiac GTO, Ford  Thunderbird, and Chevrolet Bel Air. Foreign automakers started to increase their  market share in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Particularly  prosperous were Japanese and German automakers, who pr

ovided vehicles that were more dependable  and economical than many American vehicles. The further developments in the  automobile industry have led to the birth of Electric Vehicles or EVs. While  EVs are considered and is the poster child of Green and Sustainable Development, but  are they truly the “Green Solution”? The initial environment footprint  of current EV production is much greater than that of the internal  combustion Gasoline powered vehicles. The batteries that are implemented  in

an EV is a Lithium-ion Battery, one of the component like the name suggests is  Lithium (Li) and like any raw material, must be mined. The mining process of Lithium generates  incredibly large volumes of Greenhouse Gases. It’s a problem that’s only going to grow unless  the manufacturing process is made more efficient. Sales of EV topped 1 million in a  year for the first time in 2017, Some predict the growth to reach a point of about  125 million in a year by 2030 and those vehicles are going

to need batteries. Needless to say,  Lithium has high demand, and it all must come from somewhere. It takes on average about 8–10  metric tons of CO2 to produce an electric vehicle, Obviously the bigger the battery the more CO2  it requires to produce it. Some smaller size batteries in economy sized EVs may take as few  as two metric tons to produce while the larger EVs with long-range batteries may be responsible  for up to 17 metric tons of CO2! Conversely for an internal combustion engine veh

icle it’s  responsible for only up to 7 metric tons of CO2. More than half of the world’s Lithium  supply comes from the “Lithium Triangle”, an area between Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina.  In the arid salt plains of the Atacama Desert, high up in the Andes Mountains workers drill  through the crust of the salt to reach to the mineral-rich Brine below the surface. This  process leaches massive amounts of Groundwater from the surrounding area resulting in a decreased  water supply and less accessi

ble water for local agriculture. In a region in Chile called Salar  De Atacama, mining companies have used 65% of the region’s water. It takes 750 tons of brine  to produce just 1 ton of Lithium. But Lithium is just one of the components of the battery, it’s  a much smaller percentage than you think too, at around only 6%. A growing concern surrounds  the sourcing of another element used in batteries: Cobalt (Co). But the issue is more of an  ethical dilemma rather than an environmental concern

as some Cobalt mines implement  Child Labour, which is reprehensible. The sourcing of materials for EV batteries raises  ethical dilemmas, particularly regarding cobalt. Some cobalt mines employ child labor, highlighting  the human cost of our pursuit of green technology. While the lifespan of EV batteries is  relatively long, recycling them poses significant challenges. Storage of old batteries  is a safety concern due to their volatile nature, and incidents of fires in recycling facilities  un

derscore the need for safer disposal methods. In conclusion, EVs are not a perfect solution.  There are several environmental and economic concerns that need to be addressed  before EVs can be considered a truly green and sustainable solution. We need  to invest in more research and development to improve the environmental performance  of EVs and to make them more affordable.