Contents
What happened to inductive charging and quick battery swaps?
The same inductive charging that keeps your phone charged at home is beneficial for EVs, but the technology has been sluggish to catch on. In time, the aftermarket will provide retrofit options for certain applications. However, the technology must demonstrate its future-proofness before OEMs provide inductive charging as a factory option. The early adopters are probably going to be in the private and public sectors because consumers already object to the cost of home charging infrastructure. Instead of relying on employees to plug in at night, a large shipping company like Amazon might benefit from letting employees park on wireless pads. In collaboration with ElectReon, Michigan has revealed plans to construct the first electrified road, where vehicles will be able to recharge their batteries inductively while driving. About ten years ago, Tesla made some fuss about battery switching, but it’s already taking place in China and Norway. The procedure is workable, but the logistics and business strategy are still up in the air. Since VinFast promises to sell the vehicle and lease the battery, the company might pave the way.
What are firefighters’ concerns when taming an EV fire?
Lithium-ion battery fires are challenging to put out because the battery keeps feeding the flames as it burns. When reacting to battery fires, firefighters are very worried because they can’t handle them the same as most other fires. If firefighters are short on dry chemicals and fire blankets, their only option is to wait for the EV fire to burn out while preventing it from spreading. Extra safety measures must be taken after the burning pile of metal cools because even a small movement can reignite the flames.
Where does the lithium come from, and how much is actually in a battery?
The majority of the lithium carbonate produced worldwide, which is processed into the highly reactive lithium metal used in batteries, is produced in Australia. Despite having the biggest reserves, South America produces more than China. Because it is deemed proprietary, battery manufacturers won’t disclose the amount of lithium in a cell, although an accepted estimate places the amount at 160 grams of lithium metal per kilowatt-hour. However, 850 grams of lithium carbonate must be mined in order to obtain those 160 grams. Therefore, around 400 pounds of unprocessed lithium carbonate must be mined from the earth in order to make the 212.7-kWh battery in the Hummer.
What will residents of apartments do?
Apartment occupants should presumably continue driving their fossil-fuel powered vehicles if the complex lacks EV hookups. Running an extension cord at 120 volts won’t enough recharge the battery to be useful unless the electric vehicle is operated infrequently. Additionally, a battery will experience early-onset degradation if it receives a lot of DC charges. Landlords are not currently required to offer a charging system, even if a government specifies that new-car purchases must be electric. Apartment dwellers in such a situation might be forced to acquire a plug-in hybrid in order to comply, but without a charging station, they would never be able to fully benefit from electrification’s efficiency gains.