Everyday I feel bombarded with reasons why we all need to ditch our combustion based vehicles for electric ones, mostly on “I said so because I know better then you” Yup. That seems to be the best reason given. Before you scream at me “we’re saving the environment you daft denier!” or even “it’s the right thing to do” let’s take a closer look at the impact electric vehicles will have on the environment. Disclaimer: I am not an expert in the environmentalist sciences or pretty much anything. So take my words below as a fairy tale.

  1. Strip mining.
  2. Recycling
  3. Efficiency
  4. Travel Distance
  5. Resources

Of course the above is just a small list – let’s take the first one – Strip Mining. Just do a quick search and you will find it rapidly destroys the earth and depletes the amount of lithium available. It take tons of lithium to produce batteries for today’s EVs. Which doesn’t take into account the future replacement of those batteries when they cease to function. Any environmentalists that endorse the replacement of fossil fuels based on saving the earth are misguided and are not good role models.

environmental impact of lithium mining

Recycling: There are currently graveyards of electric vehicles, mostly because it’s hard to recycle the batteries, if it’s even possible safely. Lithium can be toxic. And disposable regulations are still being worked out for electric vehicles.

recycling lithium

Efficiency: Yea, right. A word that doesn’t belong when referring to EVs. Most EVs take a full day or more to fully recharge, for a whole 100-200 miles of travel, towing is almost impossible, compared to filling a tank with gasoline and going up to 400 miles. Not to mention safety hazards such as, catching on fire during the recharge cycle. This is why most manufacturers recommend NOT charging the car in the garage.

Travel: While they don’t go very far without being recharged, they are quiet. But get stuck on a freeway during a sig alert you should either get off the freeway soon or pull over and turn off the vehicle. Hopefully, it’s not during a blizzard as keeping warm will deplete your batteries reserves, quickly. How many tow trucks will be needed to remove all the EVs that used up their charge while waiting for the sig alert to clear? How many of those vehicles are now causing a sig alert?

Resources: Well, once again the strip mining is damaging to the earth. The recycling is almost non-existent, the labor is mostly in third world countries to keep prices down, replacement batteries are almost half the cost of the vehicle. But hey, you’re saving the environment from your gas guzzler that only emits water vapor from the exhaust thanks to your catalytic convertor. Be very proud. And what happens to our electric grid when everyone plugs in their vehicle to charge overnight, while all gas stoves have been banned along with natural gas to heat your house? Welcome to the whole house electric dream nightmare!

The list goes on! But no amount of facts will deter those that believe. They have a fervor that is religious at times, reaching a deafening crescendo of false facts, designed to sway those that refuse to do their own research.

I wonder why the push to use EVs is so overwhelming, given that lithium is dangerous to dispose of. Perhaps the plan is disposal? Why not add the waste lithium, just like fluoride , to our water supplies to increase our exposure to chemicals that destroy our brains and bodies? Maybe that is the plan all along? Lithium is used to make people more compliant, fluoride was also used in that fashion during world wars in prison camps, before the lies began about curing tooth decay.  

Please don’t get me wrong! I would gladly drive and own an EV if all the above problems were eliminated.

But until then, I would rather ride my bike.