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Tesla's gigafactory is a cool idea but not really sustainable
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:16 pm
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:16 pm
All of it depends on using graphite, lithium, cobalt and nickel to produce batteries. All of these supplies exist in limited quantities.
Benchmark Material Intelligence Blog
Updated March 2017 article
Question...
Where will all these raw materials come from in order to continue producing car batteries and make electric vehicles more prevalent?
Cobalt and Graphite are not mined here in the U.S. Neither is lithium or nickel in any sustainable quantity.
Benchmark Material Intelligence Blog
quote:
The company explained that the lithium ion battery plant, through its dense layout which was designed through Computer Aided Design, has allowed it to significantly boost capacity to 150GWh.
The real concern now is whether there will be enough raw material to fuel not only a 150GWh Gigafactory but also the major growth that is being seen in China where at least 7 lithium ion megafactories are being built.
The answer is no.
quote:
At three times the size, Tesla will need to source 110,000 tpa of coated spherical graphite, 75,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide, and 21,000 tonnes of cobalt. These are astonishing volumes, not only because they are for one customer, but because they will completely reshape battery raw material industries.
Updated March 2017 article
quote:
“Later this year, we expect to finalize locations for Gigafactories 3, 4 and possibly 5 (Gigafactory 2 is the Tesla solar plant in New York),” CEO, Elon Musk explained.
quote:
The Gigafactory 1 is expected to require over 5,000 tonnes of cobalt, 28,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide and 42,000 tonnes of graphite anode material every year at a 35GWh capacity of new cell production. At the moment, a Gigafactory at capacity would not be able to source the lithium hydroxide needed. It simply does not exist in a lithium market that is operating very close to capacity.
Question...
Where will all these raw materials come from in order to continue producing car batteries and make electric vehicles more prevalent?
Cobalt and Graphite are not mined here in the U.S. Neither is lithium or nickel in any sustainable quantity.
15
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:18 pm to texag7
Musk has it all figured out, just wait til he unveils his hyper lithium mining loop.
Game changer
Game changer
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:20 pm to texag7
Musk is the ultimate con man
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:26 pm to texag7
nothing about modern batteries are sustainable or environmentally friendly.
Until organic batteries come out, electric cars do far more damage to the environment than the other options.
Until organic batteries come out, electric cars do far more damage to the environment than the other options.
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:42 pm to texag7
The people think that these systems have no environmental impact should check out the open pit mines that the raw materials are recovered from.
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:50 pm to texag7
quote:What do you think the word "sustainable" means?
Where will all these raw materials come from in order to continue producing car batteries and make electric vehicles more prevalent?
Cobalt and Graphite are not mined here in the U.S. Neither is lithium or nickel in any sustainable quantity.
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:55 pm to texag7
Supercapacitors
Posted on 6/28/17 at 12:58 pm to texag7
Can't the factories be used to produce new battery technologies? Are they somehow locked in to producing the same kind of batteries for the foreseeable future?
Posted on 6/28/17 at 1:05 pm to texag7
So in other words we are trading one unrenewable resource for another unrenewable resourse to save the planet. Makes sense
Posted on 6/28/17 at 3:06 pm to texag7
So you are saying no one at Tesla did this analysis before sinking billions of dollars into this factory. Got it. 
Posted on 6/28/17 at 3:07 pm to texag7
As the demand curve shifts (increases), the price and quantity supplied will increase, unless there is a physical limitation.
When cars were first invented, I bet you couldn't find enough steel to make the quantity of cars that Ford wanted to produce. The increased demand for cars drove price of steel up, which means that more companies entered the steel market thereby increasing the quantity supplied.
When cars were first invented, I bet you couldn't find enough steel to make the quantity of cars that Ford wanted to produce. The increased demand for cars drove price of steel up, which means that more companies entered the steel market thereby increasing the quantity supplied.
Posted on 6/28/17 at 4:01 pm to texag7
Posted on 6/28/17 at 4:07 pm to texag7
Don't you want to save the environment? Buy a trendy new tesla cuckmobile! It's like a love child between a Miata and a Prius!
Posted on 6/28/17 at 5:32 pm to texag7
quote:Gee Wally, I wonder where a fella could get his hands on a trillion dollars in untapped natural resources from?
Tesla's gigafactory is a cool idea but not really sustainable
All of it depends on using graphite, lithium, cobalt and nickel to produce batteries.
Too bad we have to waste our time fighting those dirty rotten Muslims. A fella could get rich otherwise.
Posted on 6/28/17 at 6:07 pm to texag7
Posted on 6/29/17 at 7:26 am to texag7
What has happened and what will happen is innovation. Battery technology has come light years in just 20 or 25 years. There will be some issues with toxic waste and there will be further innovation in battery recycling.
The greens are unlikely to demonize electric cars or their batteries in the short-term, so that should buy Musk and Co. some time to let that develop. Unlike nuclear, which if innovation would have been allowed to solve some of the negative aspects, we would be much further along with - not technically renewable - a strong "non-fossil" base that would allay the greenies concerns about AGW (however well founded or not).
The greens are unlikely to demonize electric cars or their batteries in the short-term, so that should buy Musk and Co. some time to let that develop. Unlike nuclear, which if innovation would have been allowed to solve some of the negative aspects, we would be much further along with - not technically renewable - a strong "non-fossil" base that would allay the greenies concerns about AGW (however well founded or not).
This post was edited on 6/29/17 at 7:27 am
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