Lithium battery cars mining ?

Question

I read recently about someone asking about the mining of lithium batteries and cars. People posted that they dont use them in cars, but Toyota has had one in production for awhile now, though it uses only a small pack to restart the engine (engine shuts down instead of idling) and to operate all the electrical components. There is also a company in California (Tesla Motors) that offers and all electric car that runs off of lithium. Im really curious to find out how much production it takes to make lithium batteries too. I own a hybrid now and yes, the warrant on it is 100,000 mile, or 10 year. My car is on it's 3rd battery and its 4 years old with about 120,000 miles on it. Just because it's warranted for 10 years does not mean it will last for 10 years. My warranty is up on the car and I do want to get rid of it. I've been thinking about the new diesels out there vs getting another hybrid, but with lithium hitting the market here soon I would rather wait for them. Anyways, original question, how much mining and what is involved in making these batteries? I know they are a lot more expensive, but is this cost becuase it takes more mining and material to extract the lithuim, or because the actual production of the batteries is more complex, anyone know? Can't seem to find anything on the net.

Answer 1

That is top level industrial secret material. You will not find that on the net. good luck. i am thinking along the same lines. personally, i would prefer an all electric unit for just around town but able to get on and off major arteries, from time to time. The thing the "planners" are leaving out of the equation in USA is a great boom in rail travel for longer distance. Not only the vehicles but the whole infrastructure that came after ww2 must be changed. i see things going back to the future. cannot see how the air travel industry can possibly ever be the way it has been with cheap jet fuel.

Answer 2

Do a little research before posting a question based on a flawed assumption. Hybrid batteries are typically warranted for 8 or 10 years, not 2 or 3. And that's a full replacement warranty, not pro-rated. Also Lithium batteries are not used in hybrids yet, today's cars use NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride), which is fully recyclable and not a big issue for mining either. Edit: Your "Additional Details" have added another inaccurate assumption. The electronics in a hybrid vehicle do not allow the batteries to go through a full charge-discharge cycle, as that severely shortens the life of a battery. Instead, the batteries are kept within a relatively narrow range of state of charge; typically around 50% to 85%. That extends the lifetime dramatically. How else do you explain 8 or 10 year warranties on the batteries? Car companies are not in the business of giving away expensive parts under warranty.

Answer 3

The lithium is cheap, the batteries are hard to make. You ought to question where the electricity to charge he batteries comes from.