The Environmental Impact of Electric Cars: Is Buying New Really Green?

When it comes to electric cars, many people assume that buying a brand-new model is the greenest option available. However, this assumption may not be entirely accurate. In reality, the production of lithium-ion batteries used in most modern electric cars has a significant environmental impact.

The mining of lithium, for example, can have devastating effects on the environment. Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile are often referred to as the "lithium triangle" due to their rich deposits of this essential mineral. However, extracting lithium from these mines is not without its consequences. The process involves drilling holes, pumping in saltwater, and then extracting the lithium-rich ore. This can lead to water pollution, soil contamination, and even damage to local ecosystems.

Furthermore, the production of lithium-ion batteries requires large amounts of energy, which is often generated by burning fossil fuels. This means that while electric cars may produce zero tailpipe emissions, their overall carbon footprint can be significant. Additionally, the mining of other essential materials used in battery production, such as cobalt and nickel, can also have negative environmental impacts.

Conversion: A More Efficient Option?

So, what's a more environmentally friendly option? One solution is to convert existing gasoline or diesel cars into electric vehicles (EVs). This process involves replacing the internal combustion engine with an electric motor, installing a battery pack, and often modifying other components of the vehicle. While this may seem like a complex and expensive undertaking, it can be done at a fraction of the cost of buying a brand-new EV.

For example, Zero Labs has developed an electric Ford Bronco that uses a converted internal combustion engine as the power source. The company has opted to keep a manual transmission instead of direct drive to the wheels, which provides more flexibility and control for off-road driving. This conversion can also be used for other vehicles, including motorcycles, which have already seen widespread adoption in some markets.

The Benefits of Conversion

So, why should you consider converting an existing car into an electric vehicle? For one, it's a cost-effective option compared to buying a brand-new EV. Additionally, conversions can provide more power and flexibility than traditional EVs, especially for off-road driving or long-distance travel. Regenerative braking, which captures kinetic energy and converts it back into electricity, is also a key feature that many converted vehicles offer.

Of course, there are some potential drawbacks to conversion, such as the need for specialized equipment and expertise. However, with more companies entering the market and developing better conversion technologies, these barriers are becoming increasingly accessible. Moreover, as the demand for electric cars continues to grow, it's likely that we'll see a shift towards more affordable and efficient conversion options.

A Gradual Approach

Rather than trying to convert every car on the road at once, experts recommend taking a gradual approach to this process. By starting with smaller-scale conversions and working our way up, we can minimize disruptions to existing infrastructure and minimize waste. This approach also allows us to learn from each other and improve conversion technologies over time.

In the United States, for example, many cities have aging electrical grids that are not equipped to handle the demands of widespread EV charging. Addressing these infrastructure challenges will require a coordinated effort between government agencies, private companies, and consumers themselves. However, with careful planning and investment, it's possible to create an efficient and sustainable charging network that supports the growth of electric vehicles.

Conclusion

While buying a brand-new electric car may seem like the greenest option available, it's not necessarily the case. Converting existing gasoline or diesel cars into electric vehicles offers a more affordable and flexible alternative that can provide significant environmental benefits. By adopting a gradual approach to conversion and investing in infrastructure upgrades, we can create a sustainable future for transportation that works for everyone.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev your engines, today I'm gonna talkabout why buying a brand-new electric carmaynot actually be so green for theenvironment no most electric car thesedays are powered by lithium ionbatteries in the process of mininglithium is really horrendous for theenvironment for example ArgentinaBolivia and Chile they call it the lithiumtriangleit contains half of the known suppliesof lithium on the planet to extract itthey bore holes they pump in salt waterit's so dry they don't any fresh waterso they get ocean water they pump it inand then up comes a mixture of all kindsof chemicals which then goes throughvarious evaporation ponds and after 12to 18 months they get the lithiumcarbonate out but it does take 500,000gallons of water for each ton of lithiumcarbonate that they get out in one areaof Argentina 65 percent of thefreshwater is using this process leavingthe farmers high and dry there and inTibet with as much a lithium they've hada lot of leakage from these ponds thatpollute the groundwater or the peopleliving there realize mining has alwaysbeen a filthy process there's all kindsof suits in the American West for thecrap that the mines left behind whenthey went out of business leaving itjust sitting there cuz while they'rebankrupt so they don't have to fixanything now when a mining companiesleave they leave just miles and miles ofcontaminated salt rivers and mounds ofdebris this has gone so far thatGuillermo Gonzalez a lithium expertout of Chile says this isn't a green solutionthis isn't even a solution at all and ofcourse that's just the battery end electriccars run on what electricityit's gotta come from somewhere lot of itstill comes from burning coal or burningother fuels like oil or natural gasthe electricity's got to come fromsomewhere it's not magically justappearing now I talked about theinfrastructure problem both in theUnited States and Canada oh reallyindustrialized nations the power gridsare not set up for recharging millionsof these batteries everyday just doesn'texist so somebody have to build aninfrastructure for it not just build thecars then expect there to be something tocharge them up with but one of my mainpoints about not buying a brand newelectric car think that you're beinggreen is this don't throw the baby awaywith the bathwater why buy an expensivebrand new electric car course theexpensive ones are well over $100,000why would you spend all that money whenyou already have a carwe're over the old cock throw it awaythere's pollution air what are you gonnado with all the pieces you can convertcars to electric cars for examplethere's a company in Europe and theyconvert diesel cars into full electriccars so you're going from the mostpolluting cars to the least using thesame car the company's called transitionone and they're taking an alreadyexisting car why throw it away and it'sbeen a ton of money building a brand newcar for all the pollution that createswhen you're ready on the car that's gotfour wheels you can convert it toelectricity if you want to me that's amuch smarter idea than just throwingyour car away buying a brand new carthat cost a whole bunch of money realizeelectric cars are actually very simplethey're not all the complexity of agasoline or diesel car they don't havean ignition system they don't even havetransmissions they just have a bigbattery an electric motors kind of likethe toy electric cars you had when youwere a kid as an example here in theUnited States 12 year-old Adam Lansinghe decided to turn a 1980 Celica evenolder than this one it's an electric carand he did it himself at home granted ittook them awhile to get it down buthere's a 12 year old kid trigger thatstuff on electric motors are a simpledevice that take a lecture as deeprunning two motors that drive the wheelsit's not rocket scienceand now that he's older mr.Lansing hasstarted a companyHawkeye innovations for converting carsto electricity and in respect to thatanyone else out there who has kits forconverting cars to electric cars if yougot a kit that'll work in my 94 Solocups lend it to me or bring a crew I'dlove to make videos on it and check itout myself and then try an electric carout without wasting a whole bunch ofmoney buying a brand new onewe already got a perfectly good carsitting there because if you want totalk about really being green using whatyou already have and converting it fromrunning on gasoline to running onelectricity makes a lot more sense to melike if a French company can do italready for fifty six hundred bucks acar when you get that stuff done andmask the price is gonna come down evenmore and why should you throw away aperfectly good car just cuz you want anelectric one doc there's a company outthere now called zero labs that has anelectric Ford Bronco they took out thebig old v8 engine and put in a bigelectric motor and battery packdifferent from everyone else they kept astock manual transmission instead ofhaving direct drive to the wheelsthey're using a transmission so they canuse that electric motor in differentgear ratios so it has more power whichis what you'd want in an off-road Broncothese are four-wheel-drive ones they'remaking for going offroad you want to beable to use the power when you want toall four wheels not a bad idea that'sthe advantage of conversion you can evenconverted wherever where you want topend power you're making for speed youwant low end drunk you can set them upfor torque and if you want to do likethose guys do with a Bronco you canleave a multi speed transformation soyou can play around with it as you drivein this way the conversion way you coulddo both the price and the power what youwant if you wanted to go the mostefficient route you'd have regenerativebraking put in which of course wouldcost more money to convert if you didn'tcare that much you could just go withelectric motors leave the normal brakingsystem in the car and yeah it won't beable to go as far but still it would bean electric car if you're the type ofperson that is commuting short ranges ornot driving much you know care if itcould go 250 miles if you could even go80 miles they'd be fine for you ifyou're not driving much and justrecharge it when you're not using it noI've seen this technology already in themodern electric motorcycles it basicallytook the motorcycle chassis and brakingand suspension systems they added on abig old lithium battery an electricmotor to the mix and of coursemotorcycles being so small they'repretty easy to build using thetechnology that's therecars are bigger yeah and they're gonnabe less efficient because they weighmore you can still convert them hey NeilYoung had a big old American carconverted years ago now he's got moremoney knows what to do with so youknow that's a one-off thing but as time goeson if electric cars really becomemandated it's gonna be a lot of theseold gasoline and diesel ones convertedat a much better price than going outbuying a super expensive brand-newelectric car Plus here in the UnitedStates you can bring a lot of jobs andmoney of converting the cars China'sgonna be making a whole bunch of themthey make them cheaper than we do but wealready got all these cars over hereconverting them can be done at afraction of the cost of even thatbuilding a new one going to electricityis gonna take a long time United Statesmany of the infrastructure of all newpower plants new wiring systems that cantake all that heavy amperage and you'rein charge a car it uses a lot of powerand the old wires like in myneighborhood this things were put up inthe 1940s if everybody was rechargingthem with 50 60 80 amp chargers andprobably melt the waters on a polethey're so old and the pure generatingpower that exists today it's probablynot there if you have 2 million electriccars in Houston driving around beingrecharged all the time if it goesgradually just like the car conversionfrom gasoline to electric that can bedone gradually too because not startingover from scratch is a smart idea theold cars a they steer fine they brakefine they drive fine if you rip out theirengine and transmission and put anelectric motor and a battery prettysimple thing actually everything elsehas already been done so now you knowwhy I think buying a brand new electriccar not the greenest thing you canpossibly do think conversion instead,so if you never want to miss another oneof my new car repair videos, remember toring that Bell\n"