How many years would it take to mine enough lithium to make enough batteries to replace all of the internal combustion engines in the world?

[johngaltshrugged]

If you say so. I haven't bought gasoline in about 3 years, I charge for free on my solar unit at home, so I've been driving for free for several years now. I guess I'm an idiot.



When folks like me put a solar PV system on our house and generate power BACK TO THE GRID we are often told that the utility company is being cheated somehow by getting energy from us. They want to get it for FREE from us.

But more to your point: the whole point of our efforts is to help DEVELOP the replacement for fossil fuels. There are green energy systems out there. They need to scale.



Li is NOT a rare earth mineral. You are thinking of Ce, La, Nd and Yt.




You don't think there's any exotic metals in your ICE vehicle? LOL. You would be VERY wrong. The rhodium in your catalytic convertor is a great example. But there's also a ton of electronics in your car which also use a variety of interesting metals.



If you destroy the groundwater, no amount of recycling will help you.



Again, Li is NOT a rare earth mineral.

So green energy is a viable replacement because you drive a Prius & have a few solar panels? Get back to me when that's multiplied by billions
The rare earth mining & extraction required to replace internal combustion engines would be an environmental catastrophe

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

So green energy is a viable replacement because you drive a Prius & have a few solar panels? Get back to me when that's multiplied by billions

That was my point. All new tech has to scale at some point. You can't take a new technology at its inception and assume it will have the economy of scale that petroleum and fossil fuels have gotten due to a century or more of development.

The rare earth mining & extraction required to replace internal combustion engines would be an environmental catastrophe

You act as if there's none of these things in your ICE vehicle. Which is a mystery. (And, again, can't stress this enough, Li is NOT a rare earth. While I understand other rare earths will go into Li batteries...you are already enjoying those things as well. So don't act like you REALLY care about an environmental catastrophe if you are already enjoying the benefits of that!)

 

[odanny]

Back at ya proggy.
The coming ice age turned to global warming & repeated that pattern since at least the late 1800's.
They finally clued in and morphed to the new climate change hysteria so any weather event could be politicized.
You low info rubes eat any slop they put in front of you, no matter how often they change it or how bad it smells.
Good luck with that

The scientifically illiterate speak.

 

[johngaltshrugged]

That was my point. All new tech has to scale at some point. You can't take a new technology at its inception and assume it will have the economy of scale that petroleum and fossil fuels have gotten due to a century or more of development.



You act as if there's none of these things in your ICE vehicle. Which is a mystery. (And, again, can't stress this enough, Li is NOT a rare earth. While I understand other rare earths will go into Li batteries...you are already enjoying those things as well. So don't act like you REALLY care about an environmental catastrophe if you are already enjoying the benefits of that!)

Where did I say that? Regardless of Li, the necessary rare earth mining would be devastating but the real point is, it's all a pipe dream.
They will never be able to replace internal combustion engines or energy generation with green energy without a tremendous technological leap ahead.
I see Prius's here, too. Usually with a driver alone & wearing a mask.
Always makes me laugh

 

[odanny]

Where did I say that? Regardless of Li, the necessary rare earth mining would be devastating but the real point is, it's all a pipe dream.
They will never be able to replace internal combustion engines or energy generation with green energy without a tremendous technological leap ahead.
I see Prius's here, too. Usually with a driver alone & wearing a mask.
Always makes me laugh

Progress takes time. Progress takes work. Progress takes innovation. Progress costs money.

Naysayers like you are dinosaurs, and you're shrieking and wailing whilst sinking in a tar pit.

Progress marches on.

 

[miketx]

Back at ya proggy.
The coming ice age turned to global warming & repeated that pattern since at least the late 1800's.
They finally clued in and morphed to the new climate change hysteria so any weather event could be politicized.
You low info rubes eat any slop they put in front of you, no matter how often they change it or how bad it smells.
Good luck with that

 

[Indeependent]

The current rate of mining lithium is 100,000 metric tons. The amount of lithium needed to replace all internal combustion engines is 17,712,640 metric tons. So the number of years to mine enough lithium to replace all internal combustion engines is 177 years (17,712,640 metric tons divided by 100,000 metric tons per year).

Annual Lithium Mining Production

Global lithium production 2024 | Statista

How much lithium is mined each year? Mine production of lithium reached a new record high in 2023, having increased by 34,000 tons from the previous year.

www.statista.com

The amount of lithium needed to replace all internal combustion engines in the world




Any questions?

I've got time!

 

[johngaltshrugged]

Progress takes time. Progress takes work. Progress takes innovation. Progress costs money.

Naysayers like you are dinosaurs, and you're shrieking and wailing whilst sinking in a tar pit.

Progress marches on.

You sound like the poster child for progressive lunacy.
I'm not sinking anywhere.
I will still be wherever I choose to be, unmasked, unjabbed & wearing a shirt that says FJB, FBLM & FWokesters too.
I'll recognize you by your look of terror before you run like a girl to your safespace

 

[ding]

Progress takes time. Progress takes work. Progress takes innovation. Progress costs money.

Naysayers like you are dinosaurs, and you're shrieking and wailing whilst sinking in a tar pit.

Progress marches on.

Progress isn't the problem. The math is.

 

[miketx]

Progress isn't the problem. The math is.

Progress isn't the problem, "progressives" are.

 

[daveman]

Also noted in the citation was the idea of recycling which has been happening at one company since the early 1990's.

Sounds to me like an area of development.

I'm genuinely curious why so many folks on here seem to understand technology exists but have no clue that technology has to be DEVELOPED. Maybe you think all the tech you use today has always existed and was always as cheap as it is today.

You should really read more history of technology.

No one here believes anything of the sort.

Meanwhile, leftists want to do away with fossil fuels before the alternatives are economic, scalable, and efficient.

Leftists are short-sighted.

 

[daveman]

So green energy is a viable replacement because you drive a Prius & have a few solar panels? Get back to me when that's multiplied by billions
The rare earth mining & extraction required to replace internal combustion engines would be an environmental catastrophe

As it turns out, "environmentalists" don't actually give a shit about the environment.

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

Where did I say that? Regardless of Li, the necessary rare earth mining would be devastating but the real point is, it's all a pipe dream.

And, again, you act as if you aren't already using a bunch of those same rare earth elements. Perhaps you are just ignorant on the topic.

They will never be able to replace internal combustion engines or energy generation with green energy without a tremendous technological leap ahead.
I see Prius's here, too. Usually with a driver alone & wearing a mask.

You know nothing. I don't drive a Prius.

Always makes me laugh

Your ignorance makes others laugh, too

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

No one here believes anything of the sort.

LOL.

Meanwhile, leftists want to do away with fossil fuels before the alternatives are economic, scalable, and efficient.

You know when cars came around they were NOT more economical or more scalable than horses.

Leftists are short-sighted.

And you wouldn't know what it means to develop any technology. Some of us actually have. Some of us have quite a few patents as well.

But you get to sit in the cheap seats and kvetch.

Come on down to the field and try to see if you have what it takes.

 

[ding]

No one here believes anything of the sort.

Meanwhile, leftists want to do away with fossil fuels before the alternatives are economic, scalable, and efficient.

Leftists are short-sighted.

Having to mine 177 times the current lithium annual mining rate and do that every 7 years can't be done economically or environmentally.

 

[johngaltshrugged]

And, again, you act as if you aren't already using a bunch of those same rare earth elements. Perhaps you are just ignorant on the topic.



You know nothing. I don't drive a Prius.



Your ignorance makes others laugh, too

Back at ya dude. You, your hysterical green energy pipe dreams & lack of reading comprehension I find quite amusing.
Sad because you obviously believe your own drivel, but funny nonetheless.
Where did I say we don't already mine rare earth elements? That's a stupid strawman argument to deflect from the fact we will not be replacing fossil fuels with your greenie delusional crap & to do so will cause environmental harms.
Neither ignorance nor an EV will take you far in life proggy

 

[odanny]

Progress isn't the problem, "progressives" are.

I need me a butchyboy.

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

Having to mine 177 times the current lithium annual mining rate and do that every 7 years can't be done economically or environmentally.

I am still struggling to understand someone with exploration experience could make such ex cathedra statements.

It's almost as if you didn't realize the difference between the first oil well in Pennsylvania and one drilled today.

And why do you think Li can never be recycled? As noted the USGS indicated there was at least one company doing it right now.

Why so limited in your view?

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

Back at ya dude. You, your hysterical green energy pipe dreams & lack of reading comprehension I find quite amusing.

I'm glad people who have actually been involved in such sort of R&D amuse you.

Sad because you obviously believe your own drivel, but funny nonetheless.

Well, I DO have experience working in the field, so there's that.

Where did I say we don't already mine rare earth elements?

You hypocrites always find problems with OTHER people's use of the same things YOU RELY ON.

That's a stupid strawman argument to deflect from the fact we will not be replacing fossil fuels with your greenie delusional crap & to do so will cause environmental harms.
Neither ignorance nor an EV will take you far in life proggy

Education might take YOU further. You should try it.

 

[ding]

Why so limited in your view?

Because I haven't added in the growth rate for future demand?

As it stands now we need 17,712,640 metric tons of lithium and 8 cubic miles of water every eight years. That will require a 17,700% increase in lithium production.