Electric Vehicles Causing New Pollution
Everyone is excited about electric vehicles. The leading manufacturers of conventional fossil fuel vehicles are also jumping into the bandwagon of making electric vehicles.
There is a huge market to capture, and early birds are going to reap a windfall gain. Not surprising. There is a vast investment going into its research and development. More efficient and less polluting these vehicles are, that is what we all are told.
Cant’s put the finger on a date yet. Certainly, 21st century is going to be laden with electric vehicles as fossil fuel vehicles seems to come to the end of its life. Many pertinent questions have been answered, all this while making a case for electric vehicles.
Why is the world suddenly wanting an electric vehicle now?
Is it that fossil fuel is coming to the end of life?
Will it be another twenty years before the carbon-emitting, smoking, automobiles go away?
Is vehicular pollution the single most significant factor responsible for climate change?
We will answer all these questions while looking at the bigger picture.
Currently, the vehicles running on fossil fuel, namely petrol, diesel, CNG others, run on a concept of combustion. The fuel undergoes this process to generate power for the engines, which in turn runs the automobile.
As an outcome of combustion, the automobile emits toxic gases through its tailpipe (as we know), much of which is carbon dioxide. The most efficient fossil fuel powered four-wheeler, contributes to around 90 grams of CO2 per kilometre.
But the average CO2 emitted is four to five times higher. With the number of vehicles already plying on the road across the globe, the CO2 released is already unforgiving.
On top of it, there are thousands of new vehicles being added each day.
The top 100 countries that manufactured cars and commercial vehicles accounted for 91 million new units in 2019. China – 25 million, U.S. – 11 million and Japan – 9.6 million.
It makes nearly 2,50,000 new cars and commercial vehicles joining the traffic, each day of a year, in those 100 countries.
https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2019-statistics/
Two-wheelers may be a luxury in the west. But, in the Indian sub-continent, China and South-East Asia, it’s a cheap mode of transport. 2017, in India alone, 17.7 million of them were sold.
China sold 16.8 million in the same year. It was 25 million per year, previously. Indonesia added 6 million the same year. A rough calculation makes nearly 1,00,000 units per day, adding to the number of polluting machines.
It is estimated that the two-wheeler industry will grow at 9-11% over coming years, barring the pandemic times.
Sometime shortly, all these numbers will get converted to battery-operated vehicles.
Once upon a time, few families owned a vehicle, now to each household, there are multiple. The sales growth of vehicles is not plateauing as more and people are climbing the economic ladder.
It is also a symbol of personal success and improved status. This very emotional appeal is played well by the auto industry in all countries.
They are one of the most powerful lobbies in their respective countries, and also continue to influence government policies globally. Consequently, all major brands of autos are available in all the nations.
They are a universal language of transportation, touching the lives of one and all.
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They are a universal language of transportation, touching the lives of one and all.
The climate change activists have driven up with the idea of an alternative to fossil fuel, which is less polluting. Still, 60% of the world’s electricity is generated by fossil fuels, like coal and gas.
Nearly all auto manufacturers researched with billions of dollars investment. Soon they realized, if the battery technology is powerful enough, they can replace that evil fuel and there is an unlimited market.
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The idea of battery-powered vehicles is no better than the toy technology, we all had one in our childhood, only that it is a serious business now.
The new-age vehicles will have an electric motor run by a large battery bank, like our toys. When the battery discharges, it will not be thrown, instead, will be recharged.
In return, the vehicles will not be polluting air (in its vicinity) with harmful gases. The dream of a clean environment will see the horizon. Moreover, the electric vehicles are silent, much to the pleasure of those living near the highways.
In all these changes, we fail to see one crucial perspective. The electric power used to recharge these batteries will still be produced by most polluting fuel.
They are either coal, nuclear, fossil fuel, including natural gas. Many countries are aggressively exploring shale gas, using an extraction process called ‘fracking’.
Unfortunately, the process of fracking itself dangerously pollutes the local geology and can damage the area for ages.
What is fracking?
Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.
Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.
The process can be carried out vertically or, more commonly, by drilling horizontally to the rock layer, which can create new pathways to release gas or used to extend existing channels.
Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a well stimulation technique where a high-pressure fluid is injected into a reservoir to fracture a hydrocarbon-bearing rock, causing a flow of oil and gas to the surface.
Fracking fluid may be a mixture of water, fine-grained silica sand, and special chemicals capable of creating fissures in underlying rocks.
https://ifsolutions.com/what-is-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking-process-steps/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401
Nuclear power is considered clean, but many argue it is harmful in the long run. Nuclear waste disposal can be catastrophic. They have to be safely transported to a safe remote location via rail or road, crossing vulnerable cities and villages.
The duration for which the active nuclear waste is to be stored runs into centuries.
While the nuclear plant is in operation, the risk of an accident is perpetually high. Human history is dotted with the frequent accident in nuclear installations.
If it was not for an accident, the tsunami in Japan is good enough to raise doubts about having nuclear power plants. Owing to the nature of technology that nuclear power plants work upon, they must be located near a large water body.
Hence, the risk of water contamination is very high, which can go undetected. In Japanese plants at Fukushima (grade 7 accident), they were located in the Pacific Ocean.
Chernobyl and Three Mile Island are other nuclear disasters. They are accidents of grades 7 and 6, respectively, according to the International Nuclear Event Scale.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Nuclear_Event_Scale
Hydropower electric generating plants can be considered as least polluting, but there are serious issues there too. They are not a reliable source, as it mostly depends on the nature of river and weather.
With climate change accelerating, how much can one rely on the rivers and lakes. It is a crucial factor. California’s Lake Oroville feeds into the power plant and is drying this summer.
According to L.A. Times, the heatwave is affecting the water supply severely. In July of 2021, it is 28% of its total capacity. The risk of the plant going off-line is high.
For baseload, not many countries use this technology. Countries that tried to create large dams, taming the rivers to harness hydropower, have also displaced the indigenous population.
It has also changed local geography leading to dam breaks, landslides, earthquakes, and ecological disasters. Since most large dams are built in developing countries, the planning and risk management is usually myopic.
According to Science Engineering and Sustainability, between the years 2000 and 2009, worldwide, more than 200 notable dam failures have happened. Most of them have gone, mildly reported.
https://sciengsustainability.blogspot.com/2019/03/dam-break-simulation-hec-ras.html
The other viable non-polluting options are solar panels and wind turbines. Currently, the world has only 5% power sourced from these two technologies. With this scenario, we have a long way to go in charging our vehicles with zero-emission electricity.
In effect, electric vehicles making rapid entry into our lives; we are just changing the source of pollution and allied problem. The source of pollution is shifting from individual vehicles to large power plants.
We have successfully transferred the guilt of being a polluting driver. Ironically, this argument is broadly unknown to the majority population. But the matter of pollution and climate change continues to be serious.
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We are just changing the source of pollution and allied problems.
Not many have recognized the battery as the 21st century’s most significant pollutant. At some point in time, the batteries must be replaced and recycled.
Yet, there is no law or regulation followed, by any country for the safe disposal of even A.A. or AAA batteries. There are practices followed in the developed world, but they cannot be considered representative lot.
Imagine a million vehicles recycling their batteries each year. Will, the vehicle manufacturers take responsibility, or will it be like the tyre recycling mess?
For the benefit of those readers, who may not be aware of the fate of scrap tyres, here is a piece of important information. Tyres are shipped to developing countries like Kuwait and India, either buried in sand or burnt, releasing carcinogenic gases.
It is a highly toxic and polluting process, which developed countries have outsourced.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15778161/worlds-biggest-graveyard-fire-smoke-space/
According to U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, 43% of scrapped tyres are burnt as fuel in cement manufacturing, and 17% end up as landfills. In addition, it takes 50-80 years to decompose.
https://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/17/sobering-statistics-how-long-will-it-take-for-your-car-to-decom/
The key ingredient of tyres is rubber. As more demand grows, more forests are being cleared for rubber plantation, leaving a skewed ecological balance in the region. Since it is an age-long practice, therefore electric vehicles are not consequential to this problem. But as a vehicle, one must be aware of environmental abuse.
Like the scrap tyres, will the world see a million batteries lying orphan in the desert or irresponsibly destroyed by an unregulated industry?
The dangerous aspect of battery pollution is its long-term effect. The chemicals seep into the groundwater, and that can cause a wide range of fatal illnesses.
The cobalt in batteries is also linked to congenital disabilities. In short, recycling a battery is as hazardous as nuclear waste, and governments worldwide are silent.
The essential raw material in the making of a battery is cobalt and lithium. Cobalt is in abundance in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Unfortunately, the mines of this element are lightly regulated, and there are already cases of congenital disabilities in the vicinity. In addition, some of the mines are run by the mafia, often with bloody results.
Like the blood burdened mobiles we all carry, electric vehicles are not humanely clean either. Similar complexity exists with mining of Lithium too. To extract lithium, excessive electric power and water is required.
We will cover the raw materials in next part of this article.
There are few outcomes from this research.
It is well accepted fact, that electric vehicles are getting more efficient. Digital technology embedded enables conservation of energy.
Although it is a vintage technology, already mastered by millions of engineers worldwide, the power and durability of battery technology with digital controls are still in its infancy.
It brings us to another dimension. Soon, the market will see vehicle breakdown kits available by numerous manufacturers. They could be easily assembled in a garage, like the desktop computers are custom configured today.
The onus of pollution has shifted from individual vehicles to large power generating companies. Usually, they are international in their operations and can wield influence on government policies. The same holds good for the batteries too.
What is the future of aviation fuel?
Aircraft are the single largest pollutant in the transportation industry. Not far behind are the cruise liners and cargo ships. Though the carbon emission per kg weight transported is low in the shipping industry, the quantum of emission is unpardonable.
The transportation industry has a long way to go in modifying its polluting habits. Whether the entire sector will be battery-powered, at this moment, one can only doubt.
We have also to consider the manufacturing process of vehicles too. All vehicles are predominantly made of steel and aluminium. So the steel and aluminium foundries, which are usually of enormous capacity, are heavy electricity consumers.
To comprehend the holistic view, not only do we need a renewable energy source for charging the batteries, but the complete supply chain of auto manufacturing also needs to be powered by renewable sources.
Until the world’s total electric power is not switched to renewable sources like solar and wind, electric vehicles are as polluting as fossil fuel ones. Only that we are going to feel good about owning a green vehicle mistakenly.
https://youmatter.world/en/are-electric-cars-eco-friendly-and-zero-emission-vehicles-26440/
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