Here are some comments on EVs.
Lithium batteries are not inherently dangerous. However, bad things happen if they are over-charged or over-discharged, so they require a well designed battery management system. I mean, nearly every one carries a li-ion powered phone in our pocket all day long, and we don't really think about it. Every office is filled with laptop batteries and the biggest issue you generally see is they swell up as they age.
The problem comes when a products is poorly designed. Remember all of those cheap hoverboards that went up in flames? The government stepped in and made it illegal to import them unless they were UL tested and approved.
www.cpsc.gov/Global/Business-and-Manufac...ingScooterLetter.pdf
There are also other battery technologies that are less volatile.
Lithium ferro-phosphate
have less the capacity than Li-ion, but a longer cycle life and are safer. Ni-MH batteries, like those standard rechargeable AA batteries we've had for decades, are used in some hybrids and they are even safer.
As for the life expectancy of an EV, my own opinion is that very few of the cars made after 2020 will last 20 years. Modern cars are packed full of computers. Many many small embedded computers that control every part of the car. Engine, transmission, windows and doors, "infotainment". Those things are going to be very hard to maintain, and even harder to repair or replace. All of the problems with Audis and VW electronics, failed abs controllers and unfixable check engine lights, seats that don't move and dark dashboards. Those thing are just going to get worse. They have cellular modems that enable fancy remote features. Tesla does frequent over-the-air software updates to the car. BMW announced a
subscription model for the seat heaters.
All of those fancy services are going to be shut down over time. I don't see any reason why anyone would expect any of these cars to last.
There are also many comments about how EVs are being forced on the US. I would argue that up to this point EV sales have been almost entire been driven by demand. The Prius has been a success for many hears (yes, hybrid). And Tesla has shown that some folks will pay big bucks for an EV. Telsa sold 500k vehicles in 2020, and close to 2M vehicles total. Sure, Honda sold 4.4M in 2020, so Tesla is still far behind, but still has plenty of demand. And once Tesla demonstrated that there was a market for overpriced EVs, everyone jumped on the band wagon. BMW, Nissan, GM, Ford (Mustang Mach-E is the worst name ever for a 4-door SUV). All of those EVs are in high demand. Yes, the US has been subsiding EV purchases, but we subsidize all sorts of stuff, some good and some silly. Welcome to democracy.
As for EVs not being ready, it's absolutely true that right now they don't work for a large number of car owners. But technology is developed step by step. As demand increases, investment in technology increases, and the products get better and better. When GM released the EV1 in 1996, it had lead acid batteries. But folk still loved it and got angry when GM crushed them all.
Oh, and for you conspiracy fans:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_encumbrance...otive_NiMH_batteries
As far as mandating electric cars, the US has been pushing stricter automotive standards for 50 years. California enacted the Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate in 1990, requiring 10% of cars be zero emissions by 2003. The actual requirements have shifted over the years, but the recent mandates are all part of this same effort.
And honestly, we've all benefited from this push for increased ICE efficiency. Regulation forced big investments in engine technology. Flow modeling, advanced combustion chamber design, direct injection, and a ton of other amazing tech. While the primary focus was to make a really efficient 1.5L, that same technology has made it so a 2022 car with only 200HP is considered slow, while a 1995 car with 180 HP was a rocket. Cars like the GR Corolla put out 300hp & 273 lbft from a 1.6L 3-cylinder! And crazy folks at Dodge use that same tech to make 800HP Challengers. In practical terms, that's about twice as much power as any 60s muscle car. Nice!
As for the supply of lithium, the hope is that once the EV market is large enough, there will be demand (profit) in recycling EV batteries and that this will reduce reliance on mining and eventually make a closed system. Sure, that's speculation. But all long term forecasts are speculation. There is clearly increasing demand for EVs, there is rapidly advancing technology due to large investments, including advancements in battery technology, and there are businesses lining up to support the EV industry. Many many companies are betting on EVs because they believe it will be
profitable. Sure, the fact that the US government is supporting EV technology with both investments and regulation is part of the reason those companies believe EVs will be profitable. But is this the US government forcing EVs on people, or is this the government investing in domestic technology innovation while also trying to improve air quality, reduce smog, reduce energy use, and reduce green house gas emissions. Yes to all of those?
But just like the original CARB Zero emissions rules of 1990, the newly enacted EV targets are likely to shift over time based on available technology and the pace of development. And as others have said, ICE vehicles will be with us for a long time. But here we are in a world with less smog and cleaner air, 800hp V8s, and 326 HP Kawasaki motorcycles. Seems like it's kind of working out ok.