rate (82% in September; up from 77% in June), indicating a promising way forward for the most at-risk population. Each state health department has a tailored plan for vaccination rollout in the U.S. Currently, the three vaccines authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19 by the CDC are Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Source: Long Island University Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis
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The Paradox that can generate sulfuric acid when exposed to air and water. When this acid drains from the mines, it can devastate rivers, streams and other aquatic and terrestrial environments for a very long time. Where the batteries for EVs are made is also an important factor when considering their environmental impact. According to Forbes, batteries produced in China produce somewhere in the region of 60% more carbon dioxide than internal combustion engines. If China could be convinced to adopt Western standards for production, this could be significantly reduced. The report also found these factories could cut their emissions by up to 66% if they adopted manufacturing techniques used in America or Europe manufacturing techniques. If this were to happen, the extraction process and production of batteries would be on a par or slightly higher than the manufacturing process of ICE vehicles.
EV batteries also tend to be pretty heavy. This can result in other, often overlooked, environmental impacts like the need to attempt to reduce the weight in other parts of the car. Lighter materials like carbon fiber-based polymers tend to be more energy-intensive to produce and difficult to recycle. Another issue with EVs is the way in which the electricity used to charge its batteries is generated. While leaps and bounds have been made in adding renewable technologies to many countries’ energy mix, many are still heavily reliant on carbon-based power stations. This is not insignificant either. According to some sources, EVs, on average, emit around 4,450lbs of CO2 each year indirectly. To put that into perspective, conventional gasoline cars emit at least twice as much. However, it is important to note that this varies widely around the world. Battery production is only half the story, however. The way that batteries are disposed of at the end of their life can also potentially
damage the environment. At present, there are few countries that regularly attempt to recycle lithium-ion batteries. This has led and will continue to lead to large amounts of spent batteries ending their days in landfills. This is incredibly wasteful, as many of the main components, like lithium, could be recovered and reused. While recycling can be achieved, most of the current research has focused on improving durability, efficiency and reduced cost of production. Current practices involve simply smelting (high-temperature melting and extraction) of old batteries in a process fairly similar to the mining industry. This is a very energy-intensive process, compounding the hidden CO2 cost of EVs during their construction. Improving the methods of recycling these old batteries could be potentially very lucrative, however. It may also become ever more geostrategically essential as time goes by. Where does lithium come from? Lithium, one of the main com-
autobodynews.com / OCTOBER 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS 21
