batteries bigger security risk than oil ..

[temfarang]

A switch to electric may be far more dangerous to U.S. security than remaining on foreign oil, argued one expert at a recent summit.

(me thinks I might agree)

 

Most electric vehicles and hybrids heavily rely on a series of elements called the lanthanides, which rarely occur on Earth, and thus are aptly nicknamed "rare-earth metals"

 

"Most rare earth material processing now occurs in China. In 2009, [color:red]China produced about 97 percent of rare earth oxides.[/color]"

Meanwhile China is doing its best to remain in control of this increasingly valuable resource. It's focusing its academic efforts on the field of rare-earth metal processing.

 

It also has banned foreign investment in rare-earth metal mining and has raised taxes on rare-earth metal exports.

 

China is demanding access to electric motor / battery technology for vehicles manufactured in China.

 

"At the moment, the only hope for the United States when it comes to domestic lanthanide production appears to be Molycorp Minerals, which owns America's only operable rare-earths mine."

 

Prius, the world's most popular hybrid, for example, uses 2.2 pounds of neodymium and about 22 pounds of lanthanum

 

(ed: I reciently assembled a '2 way home speaker kit' ($500 for parts & i supplied the plywood + soldered the crossover ... DOH!) I do hear stuff I didn't hear before = schizophrenia or excellent mid bass (French Focal)? .. ANYWAY, a big selling point noted in the advertising was the huge neodymium magnets on the Israeli tweeters (Morel).

 

The heavy metals involved in both generation & storage are much more rare than is oil.

 

OPEC is inconsequential in global oil production compared to China's heavy metal global domination ..

 

The heavy metals are extremely difficult to recycle.

 

http://www.dailytech.com/Hybrids+EVs+More+Dangerous+to+US+Security+Than+Foreign+Oil+Says+Expert/article18160.htm

[temfarang]

the latest & greatest battery car from Government Moters, the Chevy volt, has a range of 25 - 40 miles per charge (all battery).

http://www.dailytech.com/Chevy+Volts+40Mile+Battery+Range+Revised+to+25+to+50+Miles/article19718.htm

 

[TheCorinthian]

the latest & greatest battery car from Government Moters, the Chevy volt, has a range of 25 - 40 miles per charge (all battery).

http://www.dailytech.com/Chevy+Volts+40Mile+Battery+Range+Revised+to+25+to+50+Miles/article19718.htm

 

 

Well, the Prius only goes 14 miles before it dies!!!!

[kamui]

A switch to electric may be far more dangerous to U.S. security than remaining on foreign oil, argued one expert at a recent summit.

(me thinks I might agree)

 

Most electric vehicles and hybrids heavily rely on a series of elements called the lanthanides, which rarely occur on Earth, and thus are aptly nicknamed "rare-earth metals"

 

"Most rare earth material processing now occurs in China. In 2009, [color:red]China produced about 97 percent of rare earth oxides.[/color]"

Meanwhile China is doing its best to remain in control of this increasingly valuable resource. It's focusing its academic efforts on the field of rare-earth metal processing.

 

It also has banned foreign investment in rare-earth metal mining and has raised taxes on rare-earth metal exports.

 

China is demanding access to electric motor / battery technology for vehicles manufactured in China.

 

"At the moment, the only hope for the United States when it comes to domestic lanthanide production appears to be Molycorp Minerals, which owns America's only operable rare-earths mine."

 

Prius, the world's most popular hybrid, for example, uses 2.2 pounds of neodymium and about 22 pounds of lanthanum

 

(ed: I reciently assembled a '2 way home speaker kit' ($500 for parts & i supplied the plywood + soldered the crossover ... DOH!) I do hear stuff I didn't hear before = schizophrenia or excellent mid bass (French Focal)? .. ANYWAY, a big selling point noted in the advertising was the huge neodymium magnets on the Israeli tweeters (Morel).

 

The heavy metals involved in both generation & storage are much more rare than is oil.

 

OPEC is inconsequential in global oil production compared to China's heavy metal global domination ..

 

The heavy metals are extremely difficult to recycle.

 

http://www.dailytech.com/Hybrids+EVs+More+Dangerous+to+US+Security+Than+Foreign+Oil+Says+Expert/article18160.htm

 

China is starting to use rare earth materials as a political weapon. It stopped exporting these materials to Japan just this week in the context of a fight for some islands. See NYT

 

I wonder what the West and its Asian allies can do about this problem (if anything at all)?

 

PS: Interstingly there was a long report about this matter in Germany radio a few weeks ago. Western researchers and companies seem to be aware that this will become a major problem in the near future.

 

[Guest lazyphil]

are fossil fuels used to generate the electric for these cars?

[Guest lazyphil]

anyone?

[Flashermac]

Fossil fuels are no doubt used in mining the rare earth.

[Guest lazyphil]

thats on top of burning coal for electric....of course bio fuels rock, smash to bits tropical rainforest to grow the damn stuff. only one thing, horse and cart!!! (do horses fart as much as cows?)

[Flashermac]

Jin rikshaws worked pretty well. Fuel efficient and provided a lot of jobs. Lots of times when I'm stuck in the Bangkok traffic, I think how much faster I'd get where I'm going in a rikshaw or pedal samlor.

 

 

[temfarang]

anyone?

 

the issue here (this post / thread) is not green house gases but being held hostage by the dominate player in the new technology

= short term not long term

 

coal (US) is not imported so there is not the security issue of the raw materials being with held

wind/solar cannot supply a steady reliable source

hydro can but the salmon rules

 

i am one that not is not 100% one way or the other on global warming ..

but, If Al is 10% (much less 60%) right the planet is fu

 

IMHO, greenhouse gas is a hopeless issue .. if China / India / Africa .. Thailand .. the 3rd world .. is allowed to be anything but remain third world their tons of carbon being pumped into the atmosphere HAS to go through the ceiling.

 

nothing the 'west' can do short of re-colonization & shutting down the 21st century aspirations of the third world.

 

population control is required to control emissions .. a good start would be neutering religious nuts ..

I'd be in favor of neutering loud mouth dummys (i hope they provide hill billy heroin before they snip moi)

 

I am 100% on the pH of the oceans & we've already fu

80% of the koh tao reefs are white .. the occasional blue / yellow reef is out of the norm .. white dominates the koh tao reefs

 

'conservative / not very bright' position.

I like my kids .. but do not care about their future enough to stop driving a pickup