We now know that electric cars are coming very soon to our future lives. In fact, there are some electric cars on the road already. However, there’s been some talk about cobalt mining for electric vehicle manufacturing. What’s all this about?
Cobalt Mining
As a nation, we are transitioning from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric cars to help preserve our natural resources and the environment. Also, electric cars do not emit harmful gases. But, the lithium-ion car batteries contain cobalt, which is a precious mineral. It is a key component of electric car batteries. Cobalt comes from Africa. So, consumers worry about how ethical this practice is. Miners and similar workers face exploitation and do not have the same labor laws as the USA. And, there is also concern for over-mining and a disastrous re-creation of the California Gold Rush.
Thankfully, EV (electric vehicle) companies recognize this is a problem and are working with engineers to design an EV battery that will not contain cobalt. Whether it will still be a lithium-ion battery or a whole new design, we will have to wait and find out.
On this note, we’d like to add that the majority of cobalt mining is for electronic products, mainly cell phones. That’s why it’s important to only buy a new phone/tablet/computer when it’s absolutely necessary, in order to reduce our carbon (and cobalt) footprint.
Thanks for reading! Are you planning on buying an electric vehicle anytime soon? Do you see a lot in your area?
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Tracy is the Design Manager here at Redwood Creative. She’s been designing amazing graphics and web layouts for large and small businesses for upwards of 7 years.
