Monday, July 17, 2017

The Future is Coming, But I Look to the Past



I found this Chevy electric Bolt getting charged at one of the two new charging stations that were recently put into my 40-year old office building; proof positive that if you put down food and water, it will attract wildlife.

The Chevy Volt runs on a lithium-ion battery, which will be recycled at end of life. Though lithium (a very common element) fetches very little, other components in lithium-ion batteries, such as nickel and cobalt, make the batteries far too valuable to send to the landfill.

Most batteries coming out of cars, however, will not be recycled -- at least initially. Instead, they will have a secondary 10-year life as home energy storage units coupled to rooftop photo-voltaic solar panels. Just two car batteries could power all of the needs of a typical home.

By the time my hybrid C-Max car is ready for the scrap heap, all-electric driverless cars may be the norm, at which point I will get a 1946 Chevy "Waterfall" truck.  How cool a dog vehicle would this be?

3 comments:

Noel said...

That's a Bolt, the new all-electric car. The Volt is the hybrid.

PBurns said...

Thanks! Will correct.

geonni banner said...

There's one of those waterfall thingummies in my town! Such a sweet ride.