Not Enough Copper to Meet Demand for EV Revolution Essay

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Are EVs Better?The Electric Vehicle (EV) craze has many wondering if these machines are actually better for the environment than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The point of contention seems to hinge on the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing an EV—i.e., the mining of metals, the carbon footprint produced in bringing the EV to market and keeping it charged, and the environmental impact of all the batteries that could be piled up with nowhere to go once the EV is taken out of circulation (Common & English, 2019; Ellsmoor, 2022; Terzon, 2023). Researcher like Ellsmoor (2022) believe that the pros outweigh the cons and that EVs represent less threat to the environment than ICE vehicles. However, Ellsmoor’s (2022) data appears to be somewhat cherry-picked. In reality it looks like EVs are not actually better for the environment and in fact may be worse considering all the amount of copper and other metals like lithium that will need to be mined just to further than transition from ICE to EV (White, 2024). When all is said and done, the EV actually looks like it could be leading the world to an environmental crisis of epic proportions—quite the opposite of a future of sustainability predicted by EV promoters like Elon Musk (Ochoa, 2024).Ellsmoor (2022) makes the claim that “EVs are responsible for considerably lower emissions over their lifetime than vehicles running on fossil fuels, regardless of the source that generates the electricity.” The claim is based on analysis of how much carbon dioxide is produced in the manufacturing of batteries for EVs versus how much carbon dioxide is produced by ICE vehicles over their lifetime. The comparison is somewhat short-sighted, however, because it is only looking at battery production. It is not looking the total overhaul of infrastructure that would be needed to support EV charging for an entire nation of 300+ million people. For example, the world does not have nearly enough copper being mined at the current rate to support this gigantic transition.

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As White (2024) points out, “the manufacturing process of an EV uses around 132 pounds of copper, compared to 52 pounds of copper used to produce an equivalent gasoline-powered vehicle.” This disproportionate use of copper would mean that supply would have to increase at a more than one hundred percent increase than what has been mined throughout the whole of human history (White, 2024). The amount of new copper mines would have to grow by more than 50% (White, 2024). Think of all the environmental red tape that would be involved in that process alone. Ellsmoor crunches a few numbers regarding carbon dioxide emissions related to battery production. What he does not do is look at…

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…transformation of the energy grid would be required just to meet demand. More copper would have to come online than has ever been mined in the history of the world. The mining of that metal and other rare earth materials along with the problem of disposing of EV batteries could potentially do so much harm to the environment that it would set sustainability back decades if not centuries. With all that in mind, it is impossible to say that EVs are better for the environment than ICE vehicles. The reality is that EVs represent an idealistic but ultimately naïve venture that will do more harm to the environment than good. They are not a savior of the transportation industry that will make travel truly green but rather something like an albatross around the neck—pretty in idea but horrible in execution......

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