America's Electric Vehicle Future

[Richard Kerver]

For those interested, great WBUR program: America's Electric Vehicle Future.  Starting with interview on the new Ford F-150 Lightning electric.  My story:  several years ago I bought a 2004 Ford Ranger pickup with 4-wheel drive and the tow package, because I needed a work vehicle to complete construction of house in Clinton.  After a year of research and phone calls on availability of electric pickup trucks.  And concluding the market wasn't quite there.  But there were rumors of the Lightning, so waited, biding my time with the Ranger.  Which by the way is a great ride despite its carbon footprint.  A month ago, called Sunnyside Ford and asked about the Lightning - said it was forthcoming and that sales would be online.  So popped over and placed my $100 deposit.   https://ford.com/.  If you interested - highly recommend getting in line, which will just keep getting longer, despite Ford's attempts to ramp up production as quickly as they can.  FYI, that WBUR interview informed me more about what I had already reserved and its even more exciting than expected. As Darren Palmer, general manager of battery electric vehicles for Ford Motor Company said, "we wanted to introduce a game changer, something better than the original F-150, providing possibilities previously unconceived."  Like keeping a building crew of 10 with power all day at the construction site, and still have enough juice to get home.  As Meghna Chakrabarti said, "a battery on wheels".  Enjoy.

[Richard Kerver]

Thanks for the reply Trudy.  All mining has an evil side - it's an extractive industry.  Its difficult to single out Lithium from all the rest.  Every single item we use, from paper to plastic to steel.  But this pernicious idea that we should not welcome the emerging era of electric vehicles because lithium mining "is destructive to the environment" has been promulgated by the old industries tied to fossil fuel extraction, attempting to slow down the accelerating progression.  Lithium is a metal that is not "consumed".  It can be recycled into new batteries, and will be.  There are enormous investments into battery R&D for improvements in cost/performance/longevity, so over time there may be less dependence on Li-ion.  In the meantime, its the best we've got.  The answer to your question is to drive less, consume less, no matter the make.  Be well.

On Thu, Jun 17, 2021 at 12:26 PM Trudy Mott-Smith <wmo...@worldpath.net> wrote:

Hi, Richard

I have become concerned with the developing promotion and poplularity of electric vehicles-- which are great in for the environment in all ways-- except the need for lithium, the mining of which is destructive to the environment and the places where it is done.

Do you have any comments?   Trudy Mott-Smith