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    • At least the wars fought over oil rich lands did no harm to the people and environment of Vietnam, the Middle East, Afghanistan (pipeline ROW), etc., right? Nor has there ever been any displacement of people or destruction of water supplies due to drilling. Thank goodness.   Lithium, fortunately, can be found on every continent and in seawater. Nobody will be fighting over it, nor does it create toxic by-products when used. Batteries produced today are expected to last for a million vehicle miles. But, they are just getting started, and will make better ones in the future.   Article on Cobalt in Lithium batteries: https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/articles/reducing-reliance-cobalt-lithium-ion-batteries From the EPA Website: https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths Click the link for more EV myths being busted, and colorful charts that present the supporting data graphically. Excerpt from above: Myth #2: Electric vehicles are worse for the climate than gasoline cars because of battery manufacturing. FACT: The greenhouse gas emissions associated with an electric vehicle over its lifetime are typically lower than those from an average gasoline-powered vehicle, even when accounting for manufacturing. Some studies have shown that making a typical EV can create more carbon pollution than making a gasoline car. This is because of the additional energy required to manufacture an EV’s battery. Still, over the lifetime of the vehicle, total GHG emissions associated with manufacturing, charging, and driving an EV are typically lower than the total GHGs associated with a gasoline car. That’s because EVs have zero tailpipe emissions and are typically responsible for significantly fewer GHGs during operation (see Myth 1 above). For example, researchers at Argonne National Laboratory estimated emissions for both a gasoline car and an EV with a 300-mile electric range. In their estimates, while GHG emissions from EV manufacturing and end-of-life are higher (shown in orange below), total GHGs for the EV are still lower than those for the gasoline car. Estimates shown2 from GREET 2 2021 are intended to be illustrative only. Estimates represent model year 2020. Emissions will vary based on assumptions about the specific vehicles being compared, EV battery size and chemistry, vehicle lifetimes, and the electricity grid used to recharge the EV, among other factors. Above, the blue bar represents emissions associated with the battery. The orange bars encompass the rest of the vehicle manufacturing (e.g., extracting materials, manufacturing and assembling other parts, and vehicle assembly) and end-of-life (recycling or disposal). The gray bars represent upstream emissions associated with producing gasoline or electricity (U.S. mix), and the yellow bar shows tailpipe emissions during vehicle operations. Recycling EV batteries can reduce the emissions associated with making an EV by reducing the need for new materials. While some challenges exist today, research is ongoing to improve the process and rate of EV battery recycling. For more information on EV battery development and recycling, visit: U.S. Department of Energy’s ReCell Center National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries, 2021-2030 (pdf) (June 2021, report published by the Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries)
    • The point of the NPR piece is that mining for the types of raw materials needed to make batteries can and does have adverse/detrimental impacts, and those impacts are borne on the backs of  poor/powerless people in places where there are zero regulatory processes to protect humans and environment and that those impacts are invisible to end users in countries like the US.    
    • I disagree, 100%. Watch a few videos on cobalt mining in Africa. Compare that to the BP rigs on the North Slope in Alaska. Night and day difference in environmental impact and human safety/ impact. I'm not saying Big Oil's hands are clean but I'd rather live next to a refinery (I actually did for 4 years in college) than anywhere near a heavy metal mine. None of the kids being raised in Blaine, WA or Ferndale, WA have birth defects from the refinery. Greenwashing by switching to batteries as fast as we have is having a much bigger global and individual impact than anyone realizes. Money goes where the demand is much faster than any regulations. Here's a few to choose from: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cobalt+mining+in+congo Oil refinery in Alaska: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=oil+refinery+north+slope+alaska  
    • This is such a good point.  I went to the Trek website and read about the Marlin.  Battery life is only 2 - 4 hours, depending, which is hugely suboptimal. Of course, the power option would be for climbing only, but still. The Marlin battery is not removable. Trek will have an additional battery option:  "When you want to pedal farther, partner your Marlin+ with a 250 watt-hour Bosch PowerMore range extender battery (sold separately) to increase range by over 60%. (Coming soon!)"   That battery mounts on the down tube and just plugs in.  Fortunately, there are a lot of websites comparing various e-bikes, battery life, weight, and all the things.    Things will be moving along in the ebike bike packing world when the e bike battery can be charged with a small solar panel. Someone has done it already:  HERE  This is Scandanavia; a hot Texas sun or clear sky in the desert Southwest might work faster. 
    • If you only use them to ride BCRT and peddlers, you are fine.
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