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The Chinese were way ahead of the rest of the world when it came to recognizing the value of lithium. While most nations slept, China was busy identifying lithium deposits around the world and either buying them or negotiating deals with those who may not have fully appreciated lithium’s value.
It incentivized others to seek alternatives. New companies sprang up to extract lithium from salt brine, especially in the Salton Sea area of California. But these are years away from being able to supply America’s and the world’s needs.
When discussions take place about Alternative power systems, (hydrogen fuel cells or battery electric engines), experts often fall into one camp or the other.
Proponents of each technology have been vocal in spotlighting the benefits they have to provide. Often, they will compare battery electric to hydrogen fuel cell performances, particularly when it comes to vehicles. However, experts are now coming to the conclusion that it’s not really a matter of deciding which technology will win out and which will disappear. Instead, each form of clean power will find its place, as each has strengths in specific areas. The main points of debate are Efficiency, Infrastructure and Environmental impact.
In her annual State of The EU address on Sept. 13, 2023, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that Chinese manufacturers are dumping Chinese EVs on EU customers that are priced below what domestic manufacturers charge.
She suggested that the root cause of the problem is the heavy subsidies provided to Chinese automakers by the central government — subsidies that allow them to sell Chinese EVs at artificially low prices to the detriment of domestic companies. If so, she warned the EU would consider imposing new tariffs on Chinese cars to level the playing field.
The September issue of PSR Alternative Power Report includes articles on California’s plan to add hydrogen refueling stations–even though there are only 12,000 hydrogen-powered cars on the roads–plus articles on wind-powered ships and advances in battery development.
Ships haven’t had sails for generations, but the idea is gaining new supporters as shipping companies work to lower their carbon emissions.
Globalization has spawned a tremendous increase in the number of ships crossing the world’s oceans. Ships the size of small cities haul thousands of containers and tankers as large as aircraft carriers transport millions of gallons of oil from one continent to another. Many of them run on bunker oil — a gelatinous mass of whatever is left over after the refining process is over. The stuff is so thick, it needs to be heated in order to flow and when it is burned, it leaves behind sulfurous clouds of carbon dioxide so thick they can be tracked by satellites.
Eurac Research scientists have analyzed data from 21 fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) and battery electric buses (BEB) in Italy, comparing efficiency, consumption, temperature sensitivity, distances, and cost, and they discovered that Hydrogen buses’ tank-to-wheel (TTW) efficiency is lower than battery electric buses, indicating higher consumption variation for BEBs.
Daimler recently launched a class 4-5 medium-duty electric truck brand, RIZON, and Electrek got a chance to kick the tires and drive one around. They were impressed at how well it drives (for an 18k GVWR vehicle) and how comfortable it feels like it would be on long shifts.
Rizon is a new brand from Daimler Trucks focusing entirely on zero-emissions in the class 4-5 space. Trucks of this size don’t require commercial driver’s licenses, and you’re more likely to see them around your neighborhood, doing local delivery tasks, equipment rentals, moving businesses, and the like. So, it’s nice to have clean, quiet operation instead of noisy and stinky diesel vehicles.
Zepp’s goal is to speed up the energy transition and foster reliance in the labor market with support from the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate and Social Affairs and Employment, and the municipalities in the Dutch Greater Rijnmond area.
California is essentially the only state in the USA that has any hydrogen cars to speak of, but even in that state, there are only about 12,000 of them on the roads. Despite this, the state intends to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per year (or more) to build a refueling network for those vehicles.
California lawmakers are now debating how much money to pour into a fueling station network for hydrogen cars.
A lobbying group for suppliers and supporters of H2 includes Shell, Chevron and Toyota is aiming for a designated 30% of the Clean Transportation Program money, which would represent about $300 million spent over the next 10 years.
Australia is already the largest exporter of lithium in the world and has the largest lithium mine in the world. Each quarter, the Australian government produces a report from the Department of Industry Science and Resources which discusses Lithium and most of the other minerals needed to support the EV revolution.
The report is 175 pages long and this article focusses on the sections dealing with copper, nickel, zinc, and lithium.
