Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

FillThisEmptyCup t1_jefz2gb wrote

Reply to comment by findingmike in Inexpensive and environmentally friendly mechanochemical recycling process recovers 70% of lithium from batteries by chrisdh79

Not if the avg standard of living keeps going up.

3

Vitztlampaehecatl t1_jegp1xd wrote

If the standard of living goes up fast enough, developing nations can leapfrog past car-dependency and save their battery capacity for highly battery-efficient micromobility vehicles like ebikes, etrikes, and escooters.

An ebike equipped with a 1KWh battery can go 30 to 50 miles on a charge with throttle alone, while a Tesla Model 3 with 70KWh of battery capacity can go 300 to 375 miles on a charge. That's 70 times as much lithium for only ~8x as much distance, which means that hauling a whole car around with you is about ten times less efficient than an ebike.

3

what595654 t1_jeg7uya wrote

If we are playing the what if game. What if more technological advancements are made?

1

gophergun t1_jeg9213 wrote

We obviously are, considering it's /r/futurology and predictions about the future are inherently a what if game.

4

FillThisEmptyCup t1_jegi9zg wrote

It’s not a big what if because that’s exactly what’s been happening since WW2 globally. Chinese wages went from $0.50 an hour 15 years ago to over $8.

3

what595654 t1_jegpl1h wrote

The same could be said for technological advancement. My point is, your data point is not relevant in a vacuum. You have to consider all the other variables to even start any kind of useful analysis.

2