Water purification could be the key to more electric cars

Humanity is going to need a lot of lithium batteries if electric cars are going to take over, and that's a problem when there's only so much lithium available from conventional mines. There may be an oddball solution for that, however: turn the world's oceans into eco-friendly mines. Scientists have outlined a desalination technique that would use metal-organic frameworks (sponge-like structures with very high surface areas) with sub-nanometer pores to catch lithium ions while purifying ocean water. The approach mimics the tendency of cell membranes to selectively dehydrate and carry ions, leaving the lithium behind while producing water you can drink.
While the concept of extracting lithium certainly isn't new, this would be much more efficient and environmentally friendly. You don't need to pump water or use harmful (not to mention inefficient) chemicals. Instead of tearing up the landscape to find mineral deposits, battery makers would just have to deploy enough filters. It could even be used to make the most of water when pollution does take place -- you could recover lithium from the waste water at shale gas fields.
This method needs considerably more study before it's ready for real-world use. The implications are already clear, though. If this desalination approach reaches sufficient scale, the world would have much more lithium available for electric vehicles, phones and other battery-based devices. It would reduce the environmental impact of those devices, for that matter. While some say existing lithium mining negates some of the eco-friendliness of an EV, this purification could let you drive relatively guilt-free. (Engadget)

Sweden steps up hunt for cobalt as electric cars boost demand

Sweden will step up efforts to find precious minerals such as cobalt and lithium, key battery components that are increasingly in demand among makers of

electric vehicles .

The government will invest 10m kronor (£892,483) over the next two years to map the existence of minerals deemed important for future growth. While Sweden has a history of mining for base metals, the Geological Survey of Sweden, a government agency, believes there’s potential for expanding the output of more uncommon minerals like tungsten and rare earths.

“Sweden has unique assets in its bedrock,” Enterprise Minister Mikael Damberg said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “Historically we have mainly explored minerals such as copper, iron, silver and gold. But the shift to green technologies means there’s an increased need for other minerals.”

The plan is part of a global push to safeguard the supply of critical metals and reduce the world’s dependence on the Democratic Republic of Congo for cobalt. The conflict-ridden African country currently produces the vast majority of cobalt, often in small mining operations where injuries and child labour are common.

The price of cobalt, a key component in the manufacture of electric vehicles, has more than tripled since the start of 2016.

If each of the 1 billion cars currently on the road were to be replaced with a Tesla Model X, demand for cobalt would equal 14 million tons -- twice the size of the current global reserves, according to a study by commodity analysts CRU Group. Even a more realistic scenario of 30 million electric cars by 2030 would require output to be more than trebled from its current levels.

As manufacturers position themselves for a post-fossil fuel world, Sweden’s Volvo Cars recently made global headlines with plans to make all of its new models electric from 2019.

In addition to the government-funded initiative, Sweden has also seen a rise in private investment in the exploration of minerals used in batteries. One is Australia’s Talga Resources, which runs exploration activities aiming to extract cobalt and graphite in northern Sweden. In a recent update, it said base metal deposits in Sweden have “significant potential” as a future supply of cobalt for batteries.

The Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) has a collection of 18,000 core samples, some of them dating back to 1858, that can be analysed for traces of materials that have previously been overlooked. It will also look at waste material from existing base metals mines.

Though Sweden has some known reserves of lithium and cobalt, their extraction has so far not proved to be cost effective. SGU experts believe that could change.

“Of course, countries like Chile and Peru have huge geological potential, and Sweden is not in the same league,” said Anders Hallberg, a geologist at SGU. “It’s not only about geology, though. We have active mining operations, which means that we have knowledge and research capabilities.” (Independent)

Why you should — and shouldn’t — buy an electric car

California was on track to meet Gov. Jerry Brown’s initial goal for putting 1.5 million environmentally friendly vehicles on the road by 2025, a new report says, but then Brown upped the target.

Today, the official state goal stands at 5 million “zero-emission” vehicles by 2030, and though Brown has laid out funding mechanisms that would put $2.5 billion toward promoting the spread of electric, hybrid and hydrogen vehicles through consumer rebates and development of charging stations and other infrastructure, significant hurdles remain.

The funding will depend on state budgets crafted after Brown leaves office in January 2019, on the economy remaining healthy enough to sustain the green-vehicle spending, and on the price and availability of cobalt and lithium for car batteries.

Other challenges confront the push for electric cars and other Earth-friendly vehicles, but a new report from San Francisco non-profit Next 10 and research firm Beacon Economics reveals significant increases in the use of so-called zero-emission vehicles (hybrids use electricity and petroleum fuels). As of October, more than 335,000 of the vehicles had been sold in California, and sales leaped 29 percent from 2016 to 2017, the report said.

This news organization spoke with F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, about the the future of green transportation in California. His comments have been edited for length and clarity. And yes, for the record, Perry drives an electric car.

Q: Why are electric vehicles a focus for Next 10?

A: Transportation emissions in California for the last year that we have statistics for, which is 2015, actually went up by 2.7 percent and within that sector the car emissions went up by 3.1 percent. As a state, we need to get those numbers going in the opposite direction.

Q: Why should someone should go out and buy an electric car right now?

A: They can make a huge contribution to reducing carbon dioxide emissions —  that’s the most important reason. There are advantages in terms of going into the carpool lane. Electric vehicles are becoming (price) competitive with internal combustion engines. In our report we looked at the life-cycle cost of … electric cars, hybrid electric cars, gas-powered cars and we found that, for example, the Nissan Leaf and the Smart car are competitive right now even without (government) incentives. What’s driving down the cost of EVs is the reduction in the cost of the battery. Another important point is that the maintenance is minimal.

Q: And why shouldn’t someone go out and buy an electric vehicle now?

A: It really needs to suit their driving habits. The range that the car can go should fit with what they’re doing. For those that want to wait, the cost is going to be coming down. The range of the cars is increasing. Over time, the advantages of having an electric car are going to continue to increase.

Q: What are the obstacles to widespread adoption of electric vehicles in California?

A: The cost. That’s coming down. The range of the vehicles. There are more and more charging stations being created around California but in terms of a consumer deciding to buy an electric vehicle, they have to make sure that they’re going to be able to charge it when they need to.

Q: What changes need to be made by consumers, government and the private sector if electric vehicles are going to become an affordable and practical choice for the masses?

A: In terms of the private sector, we’re seeing some major investments in electric vehicles. Tesla is the best known. You have Chevrolet with their Volt and their Bolt. You also have BMW. There have to be more selection opportunities in dealerships and I think that’s coming. Policy is important in terms of helping to incentivize charging stations. On the consumer side, I think as the price continues to go down, as the range continues to get longer and longer for different vehicles, I think that will certainly help drive demand.

Q: Are government subsidies on electric cars necessary for widespread adoption?

A: Over time they are not going to be necessary. They’ll be cost-competitive enough so that a consumer won’t need that incentive.

Q: How important is Tesla’s role in the electric vehicle market?

A: Tesla was absolutely the leader in terms of the success that it achieved with coming out with an all-electric vehicle. They continue to play an important role as they bring out new models. In terms of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions because someone’s buying a Tesla and driving a Tesla, I think that’s absolutely good for our state and good for the world that someone’s driving an electric vehicle. (Mercurynews)

VW has been prepared for their electric car production in Novrmvr 2019

Volkswagen has been showing off its I.D. line of concept electric vehicles for a couple of years now, but we won’t have to wait long for them to actually enter production according to a new report. VW will enter production with the I.D., starting with the I.D. Crozz in the U.S. and the I.D. Golf-sized hatchback for the rest of the world.
We don’t know much about the specifics of the cars yet, beyond that they should offer all-electric driving ranges of around 300 miles, and autonomous features with at least a path towards full self-driving in the future. The I.D. and I.D. Crozz likely both have a street date of around 2020 with that production kick-off timeline, and VW has also committed to producing its I.D. Buzz all-electric microbus, with a target shipping date of 2022.
We’ll probably hear more about VW and its electrification plans at the Geneva Motor Show, which is coming up in just a few weeks. (Techcrunch)

Egypt opens country's first electric vehicle charging station

Egypt on Sunday opened the country's first electric vehicle charging unit, as countries around the world incrasingly move toward a battery-powered car market.

Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil oversaw the opening of the new unit, installed at a state-owned Wataniya gas station on the Cairo-Suez highway and owned by Revolta Egypt, a developer of electric charging infrastructure and other electric vehicle-related projects.

The minister said the opening of the new unit is the first step towards building Egypt's vehicle infrastructure.

Kabil said his ministry aims to back adopting electric vehicle technology, saying it is environmentally friendly and cost-effective in terms of maintenance.

Revolta said the project's first phase consist of the installation of 65 charging units across seven Egyptian governorates.

Egypt aims to boost its use of renewable energy to 22 percent by 2020 as part of efforts to achieve sustainable development.

The number of electric cars on the roads around the world rose to 2 million in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency.

China, the US and Europe are the world's three main markets, accounting for over 90 percent of all electric vehicle (EV) sales around the world.

China, the world's largest market in 2016, alone made up more than 40 percent of global EV sales.

Britain said last year it would ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars starting in the year 2040 in an attempt to reduce air pollution.

With the electric car market concentrated in a limited number of countries, a November 2017 study by global management consultancy firm Boston Consulting Group expected a slow rise of electric vehicles through 2030.

The study said that pure electric vehicles will not gain a serious foothold in most global markets until after 2025 and will likely make up only 14 percent of total global vehicle production by 2030. (Ahramonline)

Didi Chuxing starts EV car-sharing platform

The China-based on-demand taxi service provider Didi Chuxing is now working to start a new electric vehicle car-sharing platform in the country, according to recent reports.
This new electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing platform will reportedly be created in partnership with 12 of the top auto manufacturers operating in the country — including the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, BYD, BAIC BJEV, Chery, Zotye Automobile, Kia, and Ford.
This new follows on Didi’s consolidation of the local (China) on-demand taxi service market (the acquisition of Uber’s operations there in 2016, etc.), and showcased its plans to now further expand beyond it.
The plan is reportedly for this “open new energy car-sharing system” to provide users with an easy means of gaining access to so-called new energy vehicles (EVs, etc.) through a simple smartphone app.
Reuters provides more: “A person familiar with Didi’s tie-up with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance said the partnership was about looking at the possibility of supplying all-electric battery car models for Didi’s new service. The alliance, however, will also likely explore broader business opportunities with Didi’s new energy vehicle sharing service, the person said without elaborating.”
“This cooperation fits with the alliance’s expansion in vehicle electrification, autonomy, connectivity and new mobility services,” explained Ogi Redzic, the senior vice president of Connected Vehicles and Mobility Services at Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi.
As a side note to all of this, as of late 2017 Didi reportedly had more than 260,000 electric vehicles operating on its on-demand taxi service network. That already impressive figure is likely to rise substantially over the coming years as electric vehicle market growth in China continues increasing. (À

Electric Cars Threaten to Leave This European Nation Behind

Kia Motors Corp. churns out about 1,400 new cars every working day in Zilina, a city in Slovakia's northern industrial heartland. They all rely on gasoline or diesel.
Less than two hours away, PSA Group workers will reconfigure miles of assembly lines for Peugeots and Citroens to meet the impending electric car boom as long as the plan is approved by management. A Jaguar plant being built in the west of the country might produce batteries, though it wasn’t included in the original plan.
Slovakia makes more cars per person than anywhere else in Europe. It depends on automotive factories for about a third of its exports, yet the only e-cars are at Volkswagen AG's facility in the capital, Bratislava. Now there’s a growing sense that the country needs to keep up or it will lose out.
“It’s going to take a lot of power to transform this industry and if only for the sake of security -- national security -- we should have it,” said Peter Badik, who owns a company that has 27 charging points in the country. “We should be in the first row of the debate and we’re not.”
The region from Estonia in the north to Bulgaria in the south is home to a concentration of carmakers, auto parts suppliers and raw materials producers. They were attracted by relatively low costs and high skills following the fall of the Iron Curtain. They make everything from small cars for Toyota Motor Corp., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and PSA, to compacts for Kia and Skoda family saloons and Audi TT sports cars for VW.
The problem is that a conventional automobile needs more than 20,000 parts to run, while an electric car can use as few as 7,000, creating a more cut-throat market to feed factories, said Matjaz Schroll, head of private equity for central and eastern Europe at Franklin Templeton Investments.
“The Germans may try to protect their own suppliers and could cut off the suppliers in eastern Europe unless those suppliers will be able to make this transition, which I think is going to be extremely difficult,” Schroll said at a recent Vienna conference. “It could have a huge negative impact.”
Slovakia and its 5.4 million people have the most on the line. The auto industry helped cement the transition from communism to capitalism and turn the country from a backwater to euro member. The economy has now almost doubled in size since the year before Slovakia joined the European Union in 2004, to about $90 billion.
The e-car development is inexorable. Within two years, electric vehicles will represent as much as 8 percent of total sales globally, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report on Jan. 23. In 22 years, electric cars will make up 54 percent of total new sales, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
“If we don’t want to fall asleep -- and we don't -- we'll need to adapt,” Peter Ziga, the Slovak economy minister, said on Jan. 31. “Many carmakers have announced target dates for going completely electric, including those that operate here. We will not just passively watch the development, but we will be also active partners.” (bloomberg)

VW Scandal, Germany is Forced to Look to Electric Car

German government officials and representatives from the country’s biggest automakers touted their work on boosting the adoption of electric cars in the Europe and the U.S.

The talk, which took place at the Washington Auto Show on Tuesday, occurred on the heels of the prosecution of one of Germany’s biggest automakers, Volkswagen, for cheating on federal emission standards with its so-called clean-diesel cars.

Federal regulators have forced Volkswagen to spend $2 billion to speed the adoption of electric cars in the U.S. as part of its punishment for the diesel fraud. German officials now point to electric cars as the wave of the future.

Peter Witting, the German ambassador to the U.S., said during a panel that was hosted by the German Embassy that it has “simply become a necessity” for the U.S. and Germany to invest in electric transportation because they are countries “where cars and the oil industry play a crucial role.”

Electric-vehicle supporters fretted during the most recent tax debate in Washington about the Trump administration pulling the plug on a tax credit that is designed to boost the sales of electric cars in the U.S., although the credit ultimately survived the passage of the sweeping tax legislation.

Witting said Tuesday that Germany’s support for electric cars will not be affected by political transitions in that country. “The German political parties, that are currently forming a new government, will remain on this course and e-mobility plays and will play an ever more important and growing role in this,” he said.

Representatives for German automakers who participated in the discussion called for the U.S. and German governments to do more to boost the adoption of electric cars, such as increasing the number of charging stations that are available on public roads and taking steps to ensure that future self-driving cars are operated on electric battery platforms.

“Government needs to incentivize the autonomous vehicle to be zero-emission... not just electric vehicles, but fuel-cell vehicles need to be part of this conversation also,” William Craven, senior manager for regulatory affairs for Daimler of North America, said.

Craven also noted that customers will have to be convinced to buy more electric cars. “Customers are very happy with what they drive today, so it’s going to have be government policy that drives it,” he said.

Charlie Yankitis, director of business development of Bosch EV Soutions, added that policy makers will have to do more to increase the number of charging stations that are available on public roads, although he said most electric car owners will likely be charging their vehicles at home.

“That’s a big part of the puzzle to get the consumer interested in the electric vehicle, when they know that they can get a charging station at home at very reasonable price, or in some cases no cost,” he said. (TDN)

Tesla Model X: The First Electric Car to Cross the Sahara Desert

A Croatia-based team used a Tesla Model X to become the first to complete the Budapest-Bamako Rally, one of the largest amateur rallies in the world, using an all-electric vehicle and to cross the Sahara desert in the process.

As I often try to communicate, electric car range anxiety is not a real problem in most countries with charging infrastructure and a decent navigation.

Unless you are unable to do some minimum planning, it’s hard to run out of power.

But they are still plenty of places where charging infrastructure or even decent road infrastructure are nonexistent.

That’s why this is an impressive feat accomplished by ‘Team Tesla Powered by RWE’ in the Budapest-Bamako Rally.

Team members include Croatian entrepreneurs Saša Cvetojević and Oleg Maštruko driving the Model X, and Czech Tomas Kovicka driving the support vehicle.

Last month, they drove over 8,600 km in 16 days in order to successfully complete the rally. They documented their journey on their Facebook page.

Here a few images and moments that I found interesting.

Now, this was far from a “zero-emission” road trip. Like their gas-powered counterparts who relied on gasoline resupply, they had to partly rely on a gas generator to recharge the Model X:

Source: electrek

They say that the Model X performed remarkably well in those conditions.

It’s not exactly surprising with the vehicle and its dual motor all-wheel-drive powertrain being tested off-road in the desert before.

Why Choose an Electric Car?

Choosing an electric car means gaining its benefits. Here are some advantages of electric car with respect to fossil fuel car.

Gentler on the Environment: Driving an electric car means you will be driving a vehicle that produces zero emissions. With the impact of global warming becoming larger by the day, you would be doing your part in ensuring a cleanerenvironment for everyone and also creating a less polluted world for future generations to come. EVs also run silently, so there’s also less noise pollution.

Less Wear and Tear: Electric vehicles are propelled by batteries and do not require a mechanical engine to run. In addition, all the other mechanical trappings that come with an internal combustion engine are not needed in an electric car. This eliminates costs associated with things like spark plugs, oil filters, certain pumps, valves, and other associated engine components that can increase long-term costs. Battery maintenance is would be an EV driver’s main concern.

Ideal for Urban Driving: For city dwellers, stop-and-go driving is a norm. Gas-powered cars perform more efficiently on the highway, but electric vehicles excel in city driving. If you live in the city, having an electric car makes a lot of sense.

Save on Fuel Costs: It costs less to run a car on electricity than it is to on fuel. The cost per mile of running on electricity is significantly less than with gas and you can easily charge your vehicle right in the comfort of your own home without needing to visit a station of any kind. Many workplaces and shopping centers also offer free charging.

Charging point "ironic and beautiful"

AEV Bill Britain's new network of charging points for battery operated cars should be "iconic and beautiful" just like the telephone box, according the ex-minister in charge of working out their place in the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill.

This comes from the report and third reading debate of the AEV Bill, which took place in the Commons on Monday night.

John Hayes, former minister at the Department for Transport, said that "one should recognise a charging point, as we recognise a telephone box, a pillar box", and concluded that the points "should be beautiful, by the way."

The Lincolnshire Tory MP has previously suggested the charging points be named after him, in the same vein as London's "Boris Bikes".

After Shadow Transport Minister Karl Turner mentioned the points had already been dubbed "Hayes hooks" in committees, the former minister said he was "delighted that [Turner] has confirmed that they are going to bear my name, which I expect the Minister will also confirm."

Hayes reiterated his support for a nationwide design competition for charging points, and called for more "human infrastructure", such as technicians and engineers qualified to work with electric and autonomous tech, in order to get the programme off the ground - as well as the importance of on-street charging being consistent in form and payment method around the nation.

Later, just before the debate closed, Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay wanted to talk about software and vehicle ownership. After briefly mentioning a hypothetical accident involving "an errant sheep, a drunken cyclist and tin of paint falling from a white Transit van on the Thanet Way" as possible a future scenario a autonomous vehicle might have to deal with, it was then time for the Arnold Schwarzenegger references.

Mackinlay referenced Total Recall's JohnnyCabs as he outlined a vision of a future where private car ownership is almost non-existent.

He concluded his remarks on a apocalyptic note, by bringing up a potential Terminator future where the driverless vehicles turn on us due to "Taxinet", or more likely hostile hacking action by another state causing mass accidents.

The amendments

Aside from making amusing comments, MPs were there to discuss proposed amendments from the second readingthat the Bill Committee decided to keep and discard, followed by a final summary of the new laws before the Lords get their chance to look at it.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling's proposed amendment to send data from electric vehicle charging points to the National Grid and electricity providers was approved by the bill committee. Concerns from Labour MP Helen Goodman about privacy and personal data were answered by Oliver Letwin of the Conservatives, who said that any data sent would be "highly aggregated", and repeated that sending data was crucial to ensure electrical systems are used effectively.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Transport department, Jesse Norman MP, said tasking "public facility operators" – such as supermarkets, public car parks, airports, train stations – with installing and maintain charging points was too wide a group to legislate for.

He said an amendment that would order Grayling to publish a nationwide strategy on electric charge point was unnecessary, as his department plans to produce a new report on the matter by the end of March, and to add such a requirement into the bill would be "disproportionate and unnecessary".

Third Reading

The third reading was more general in scope. Many MPs thanked Hayes for his work on the bill as transport minister before he was reshuffled in January to the back benches. There was also discussion of air pollution, and how electric cars alone would not solve a problem caused by HGVs, public transport and power stations.

Labour MP Richard Burden quizzed Grayling on the government's preparedness for the tech, referencing the "Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index", which puts the UK at fifth for tech and 10th for infrastructure, roads and networks in the world, he asked the transport secretary if he could "give any indication of how we can start to turn that around?"

Grayling, who had turned up to take over from Norman, didn't really address this, instead saying that Matt Hancock and DCMS were doing great work in preparing 5G tech, while funding pledges in the Budget combined with the new legislation were exactly what was needed to secure the country's preparedness.

There was also talk of the bill's effect on insurance by former insurance broker Tory MP Craig Tracey, which would allow owners' policies to cover vehicles while operating autonomously as long as they keep their cars' systems up to date. He questioned the decision that owners be responsible for updates instead of manufacturers, as well as asking by what means the transfer of data to insurers concerning autonomous crashes would be guaranteed.

The final debate of the AEV Bill was interesting, both for the details of our electric and autonomous car future, but also for what happens to MPs when you make them stay in Parliament until after 9pm.

(Source: The Register)