editor, The Fara:
At first glance, an all-electric fleet would seem to be the solution for oil independence and the reduction of greenhouse gases. But as someone once said, the devil is in the details.
The heart of an electric vehicle is the energy of a lithium-ion battery. The use of earth moving machines to extract lithium ore is extremely harmful to the environment. Large amounts of fossil fuel are consumed in the process.
The largest deposits of lithium ore are in China. I don’t think the Chinese government is any more charitable to the US than the Arabs are to their oil. So the US is just trading one dependency for another.
Last summer, California asked residents with electric vehicles not to charge them due to a shortage of electricity production. Where will all the electricity come from to keep a fleet of vehicles running?
The cost of an electric vehicle is prohibitive for most families. Battery life is limited and batteries are not recyclable. The cost of a new battery pack starts at $20,000 to $24,000, the cost of a new gas car.
As sea levels rise and coastlines sink into the sea, change in our society’s diet will be inevitable. Wyoming lawmakers already proposed banning the sale of electric vehicles in their state.
Although this proposal did not pass, the mindset of clinging to greenhouse gas-producing fuel and the political will must change if our planet is to remain habitable.
Hydrogen is the fuel if we are to thrive independent of external fuel sources. It can be produced from sewage, garbage, green algae and other raw materials other than fossil fuels. When hydrogen combines with oxygen, heat and water are the byproducts.
Toyota Motor Corp. has produced a V-8 engine for its pickup truck, the perfect platform for hydrogen tanks. Hydrogen fuel cells power the buses on the streets of our county.
Do we really need a Tesla car that goes from 0 to 60 mph in four seconds, with a top speed of 150 mph? Time is running out before a tipping point is reached. Common sense must prevail.
Tom Walker
DeLeon Springs
