Part 3: Electric Cars The current high-density battery for Electric cars (e.g. C
ID: 288007 • Letter: P
Question
Part 3: Electric Cars The current high-density battery for Electric cars (e.g. Chevy Volt) is a Lithium-ion battery (enlarged packet of what is in your laptop computer-about 100 of them). Basic facts: Chevy Volt requires 16 kWh of battery energy-storage; for 40 mile range. Telsa Model S P85, a sporty $90,000 4-seater, has 85 kWh of battery energy-storage (over 7000 lithium-ion cells) for a range of 265 miles. Each kWh of Lithium-ion battery requires about 80 grams of Lithium (in the form of 400 grams of Lithium·Carbonate of 99,5% purity) Most of the Lithium Carbonate is commercially produced from brines in the Andes; with current production of about 75,000 metric tons/year. [NOTE: The USA produces only 9,000 metric tons year (at a more expensive price).] About 70% of current Lithium-Carbonate is used for ceramics and other non-battery requirements (including fusion reactor test mixtures) Global vehicle production (all gasoline-types) is about 50 million/year. a. If we use 50% of current total Lithium-Carbonate output: (I) How many Chevy Volts could be built per year? (2) What Percent of global vehicle production could be converted to these 40-mile- range cars? (3) What does this imply? b. Ultimate-global Lithium reserves; and Electric cars with 200 mile range Globally, there is an estimated 7 million metric-tons reserve of economically extractable Lithium; which would be equivalent to about 35 million metric-tons of Lithium Carbonate. Much of the undeveloped reserves are in China and in Bolivia (1) If ALL of this Lithium Carbonate was used for car batteries of the Tesla-type (and the government gives us a $70,000 subsidy each to afford to buy them...) how many Electric cars could be put on the road (assuming that each lasts forever ...). INOTE: These are only the light-weight, 2-seater cars; not SUV soccer-mom type.] (2) More realistically, if one uses Global vehicle production as a measure of the “lifetime" of cars, then how many years of our future could be the "Electric-Auto Age" with that Tesla-type long-range electric car? (3) What does this imply?
Explanation / Answer
a) 1. 75000*1000*0.5/(0.400*16) = 5859375
2. 5859375*100 / 50000000=11.71%
3. This will reduce the load on gasoline type vehicles; Also it is cheaper to run. Owners have the advantage of much lower running costs.Cheaper to maintain.Better for the environment. This will increase our energy security.
b) 1- 7000000*1000 / (0.080*85) =1029411765
2- 1029411765 / (50*1000000) =20.58 years
3- We will not be dependent on any gasoline type vehicles even if we continue to use battery type vehicles for around 20 years.