Maybe Electric Vehicles Are Not the Clean Fix we’ve Been Waiting For



Electric vehicles are taking the world by storm and are being dubbed the key to securing a clean future for the planet. The cars are powered by batteries rather than traditional engines and therefore do not require petrol. This reduces the global oil demand and moves our economies away from a dependence on fossil fuels, which are known to produce carbon emissions and contribute to global warming.
Since the Paris Climate Agreement, virtually the whole world has been examining ways in which it can reduce its carbon emissions and implement new, clean technologies to drive the planet towards a green future. Electric vehicles were supposed to be part of the answer to the question: “how do we combat climate change”. However, these miracle vehicles may not be the perfect solution we once thought them to be.
Scientists at IDTechEx have recently released a report that shows a negative side to electric vehicles. It appears, from this report, that the electronic equipment and batteries that are used in electric vehicles actually contain roughly the same number of poisons that are found in diesel emissions.
The result of this finding is that electric vehicles could, in fact, damage the environment far more than anyone originally anticipated. This fact alone is enough to seriously hamper the clean credentials that have so far been given to electric vehicles.
This information has been collected and compiled by the technology researcher IDTechEx.
While the batteries and electronic equipment used in electric vehicles may contain most of the poisons found in diesel, it was thought that the chemicals were safe to use because they were only present in small quantities and full sealed in. However, numerous devices in each vehicle could amount to quite a damaging level – especially given the rapid increase in electric vehicle sales.
Perhaps one of the most concerning discovery found in the machinery of electric vehicles is arsenic. The report says that this is present in both the solar bodywork and microchips. Of course, this substance is not being used in an irresponsible way, but it is no less alarming to be made aware of its presence. Furthermore, cadmium has been found in quantum dot displays and cobalt is present in lithium-ion batteries and motor magnets. That’s quite the cocktail of chemicals electric vehicle owners are driving around in.
The report then goes on to suggest that the use of these ‘poisons’ in an ever-increasing variety of applications needs to be better monitored and controlled or it risks getting out of hand. If this happens then the electric vehicle might not be that much better than the diesel cars we are so desperately trying to get rid of.
IDTechEx, in the wake of this report has called for a total ban on any harmful chemical that is associated with cancer or birth defects – provided there is another alternative available. However, it also notes that alternative technologies often do not have the funding to get off the ground. This includes vehicles that are being developed that are powered by solar energy and can only move during daylight hours as well as cars that are powered by non-toxic supercapacitors.

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