The Lion's Pride Volume 9 (January 2018) | Page 68

Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated $2 billion for development of
electric vehicle batteries and related technologies. The Department of
Energy added another $400 million to fund building the infrastructure
necessary to support plug-in electric vehicles,” (PBS). This included tax
credits for U.S. buyers; supporting Obama’s goal to reach “one million
plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles on America's roads by 2015,” (PBS).
EVs were finally getting the necessary backing to become a feasible
option for car manufacturers and purchasers, yet the adverse impacts on
the environment were overlooked.
The resources needed to create the massive EV battery packs used
today, some of over 1000 lbs. (see fig. 1), are created from large
amounts of elements considered “rare earths”. Most of these rare earths
currently come from countries with minimal to no emissions policies,
poor or unregulated labor policies and little concern for the byproducts
of mining and manufacturing. Gathering and refining these minerals is
where things begin to get less “green”.
According to British science writer, Chris Woodford, lithium-ion
batteries (the types generally used in EVs) are made up of three major
components:
Like any other battery, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is made of
one or more power-generating compartments called cells. Each cell has
essentially three components: a positive electrode (connected to the
battery's positive or + terminal), a negative electrode (connected to the