That is if there is enough material available in 8 years for both new car production and for replacement packs. Nickel will be $50/lb by then and the auto manufacturers will have bought futures on all of the supply years prior to the mines being able to pass the environmental review period.The replacement costs of battery packs today have absolutely nothing to do with the replacement costs for battery packs in 8 years
along with about 50 other factors here.
Emissions targets will be met in Canada but the earth will be no better for it. We have just about completely done away with smelting of metals in Canada so that is gone-less overall emissions to ship the concentrate by train to the port so we score points for a small amount of overall emissions reduction there (ignoring the fact that it will then go on a container ship, burn bunker fuel across the ocean, then get smelted in a smelter in China with double the emissions per lb of Ni or Cu refined, then burn bunker fuel all the way back to North America, and then by rail to its final destination in the auto industry).
Electric cars will eventually become a superior product compared to today's internal combustion counterparts-no different in how today's models are superior to those from 10 years ago. But in the near future, we will have ended internal combustion automobiles, depleted stocks of the required battery minerals and the cost of the average automobile will make them unattainable for many. Yet, the environment will not see any tangible benefit.
Last edited: