https://www.mdr.de/ratgeber/mobilitaet/elektroauto-eauto-akku-lithium-entsorgen-oekobilanz-100.html, 24 Aug 2021, Electric cars are on the road. How climate-friendly do they really drive? How long do the batteries last? How are they disposed of and recycled? Battery technology expert Ulrich Schubert from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena explains it. Ulrich Schubert: The batteries in electric cars are typically lithium batteries. One of the main components are lithium ions, which in turn are embedded in graphite. Other components are cobalt, nickel, iron, aluminium and copper to conduct electricity and a housing made of metal and plastic. A wide variety of materials are used in such a battery.
What plans are there to increase the ecological balance of the batteries? Ulrich Schubert: With the current framework conditions of the sluggish energy transition, we won't get very far. The problem is that there is so much focus on electric cars now. It is trusted to save the world and stop global warming. This way is not correct. The CO2 emissions from recycling the batteries, the electricity required and the intervention in ecosystems during production create a large ecological footprint. You would need your own solar system on the roof to charge the car with your own green electricity. That would be climate neutral.
Electric cars burning: What does fire brigade have to consider:
https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/deutschland/panorama/e-auto-batterie-brand-tunnel-schweizer-forscher-testreihe-100.html
Swiss researcher talks about tests with burning e-cars in the tunnel, January 06, 2022, What does the fire brigade have to consider? Marcel Held: That would make a difference, especially for extinguishing fires, i.e. for the fire brigade. Because the batteries cannot be extinguished in that sense. But you can spray water on it. This has a certain cooling effect. But the whole dynamic of the chemical process that takes place in a burning battery is practically unstoppable. Even if you were to sink the entire vehicle and the battery into a container with water, these processes would continue - until everything had chemically reacted… But that is in the order of a few minutes. The main finding is that there is contamination, specifically from the battery. Materials, especially the heavy metals of the cathode, are massively deposited in the environment. We found a lot of nickel, manganese and cobalt there. These are the metals of the cathode, the metal oxides and then also a bit of fluoride and some lithium. This means, especially for cleaning, that you can't just wipe it away. That must be decontaminated by professional personnel. - What about "harmful to health"? Marcel Held: Which is also important, if such fires are somehow fought or extinguished with water, or if batteries are submerged in water to cool and control them - then this water is also hazardous waste. You can't just throw that down the drain. The heavy metals are of course not healthy. They should not be inhaled in large quantities. There are also people who are allergic to metals - nickel for example. This is not a poison in that sense, but a certain danger if you inhale too much of it.
What alternatives to batteries could there be?
Marcel Held: The manufacturers are of course constantly improving these batteries. Security is a huge issue. Unfortunately, the most powerful batteries currently used in electromobility are also the most dangerous. Of course, research is being done to replace these flammable electrolytes and so on. At some point the solid-state battery with solid electrolytes might come along. On the material side, they try to make it less dangerous in all areas.
If a fire develops: Pull over to your right, do not attempt to put it out yourself. You can't do that with fire extinguisher.
The history about the electric cars: In 2009, Honda launched the first series-ready plug-in hybrid. In that year, countries around the world were struggling with the banking crisis. So the German government released funds for the development of e-cars... by the way, they are still subsidized today.
Unfortunately, the consequences were not thought through to the end: No requirements for the car manufacturers on how the HV (High Voltage) batteries can be recycled. No information how to extinguish a burning battery. No offer for the fire brigade about the handling. No infrastructure for charging stations and no thought that most people don't have the possibility to charge the car at home (charging time 8 hours). The super chargers are far too little and cost a lot more.
At the moment (June 2022) we have 0.8% e-cars on our roads, if you only increase the proportion to 20%, these vehicles could no longer be powered with so-called "green" energy because we don't have that many resources for it. In addition, there are currently discussions that e-cars produce enormous amounts of fine dust. Not necessarily the prerequisite for a positive balance of the CO2 limit.
Alternatives of batteries would be:
H2 = hydrogen
CNG = compressed natural gas
LPG = Autogas
SynFuel = synthetic fuels
E-Fuel = electro fuel
Perhaps one should also add that all HV (high voltage batteries) have to be replaced after 8-10 years. All FCEV fuel cell electric vehicles (abbreviation: FCEV), if the H2 drive or fuel cell, whether CNG or LPG, whether SynFuel or e-fuel. However BMW continues to rely on combustion vehicles. A new HV battery, depending on the size of the vehicle, costs up to 10,000Euro. In many cases, this means a total economic loss. This might be an important detail in an accident with an electric car and what enormous sums of money the owner can face. Information on the arbitrariness of the towing companies, since nothing is regulated by law: https://www.ramom.de/rechtsthemen/autounfall/standkosten.html
