What Sustainability Issues Will Arise from the Large Scale?

What sustainability figures impart arise from the large scale adoption of voltaical gondola machines? With the recent introduction of the electric automobile car into Ireland, I am going to outline some of the sustainability issues that will arise from their large scale adoption. The car has already received backing by the administration who arrive at recently announced their plans for the induction and eventual change over to electrically positi integrityd vehicles. What is an galvanizing Car? An electric car, is a vehicle which interchangeable the typical cars seen throughout the innovation, has four wheels, doors, windows and a roof.The difference between the typical customary car and the electric car, comes when you look at the agency source, in the greenness car an indwelling Combustion Engine is used to convert sack ( by and large unsustainable fossil fuels like diesel or petrol) to mechanical energy, the Electric Car uses electric motors powered by batteries o r an onboard fuel cell. The frequent car with its Internal Combustion Engine has advantages and disadvantages the cost to purchase a car with an internal combustion engine compared to an electric car is pooh-pooh, as there is the ability to mass produce a product which is still in huge motivation.In todays world crude oil garble derived fuel is accessible and relatively cheap to the consumer, as the infrastructure is already set up to enable the frank and quick refuelling of the car. The prohibit side to the common car is the fuel which it used, all of the fuels for Internal Combustion engines are derived from oil. The worldwide production of oil has peaked and oil production is at once dwindling, this is not easily seen by the consumer purchasing the fuel who might be oblivious to the fact.With an increasing take for oil and an ever decreasing hand over it is fair more and more difficult and expensive to produce oil which is practicable, oil is now so valuable that the re are wars over supplies. Another cast out side to the Internal Combustion engine is its inability to convert the energy from the fuel into usable mechanical energy, during the combustion process the fuel is converted to useable mechanical energy hardly there is also heat and noise energy given off, this is an unwanted waste of fuel.The issue of harmful gas emissions when the oil fuel is burned is another major downfall with the Internal Combustion engine, as when the fuel is combusted it releases carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide as well as hydro carbons and ozone. well-nigh of these gases are toxic and harmful to humans but the big issue is with the carbon dioxide emissions, as it contributes to global warming or the duvet effect which is an on-going problem throughout the world.Transport powered by fossil fuels is responsible for 20% of Carbon Dioxide emissions worldwide. It is the sustainability issues of the common cars Internal Combustion engine which sparked the suffe r for the teaching of a rude(a) sort to travel, the electric car which has come out on the top of the list for new more sustainable enjoy methods. Different types of Electric cars An electric car is a vehicle that is powered by elemental electric motors, how the electrical energy to run the motor is created or stored cigaret set out.The most common type of electric car is one which has a large or a number of smaller batteries which stores electricity from an external power supply, generally the mains electricity grid. The other more sustainable type of electric car is one with an onboard power station, capable of producing its own electricity. A total heat fuel cell uses hydrogen to produce electricity through the process of electrolysis, the combination of hydrogen and oxygen creates an electric current and gives off a by-product of water.As hydrogen is the most abundant element on earth, there is a sustainable supply of fuel, the only problem with hydrogen is the difficul ty faced when harnessing and storing the fuel. Hydrogen generally comes bonded to other elements this chemical bond is difficult to break, after harnessing the pure hydrogen it has to be pressurised and turned into a liquid for easy transportation. Although the process seems complicated it is no more complex than extracting oil from the sea bed, which is being done on a daily basis to fuel the Internal Combustion engines already on the roads today.The hydrogen fuel is similar to petrol or diesel, it is a liquid when put under pressure. The pressure is the other problem with hydrogen, but with simple modifications the infrastructure already in place for existing fuels like petrol and diesel, the hydrogen fuel could become main stream without difficulty and relatively quickly. giving medication Plans New charging points, at put spaces The Irish Government announced their campaign for the future, they plan to have 10% of all cars powered electrically by the course of instruction 202 0.The 10% target was first gear announced in the Carbon Budget, presented by Minister for the Environment John Gormley in October 2008. In order to make this a viable plan the Government have collaborated with the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and have developed a simple way of charging (refuelling) the battery powered electric car away from home, as the battery will lose its charge after a long journey leaving the driver with no way home. The charging points are small, American style parking meter design which the car is simply parked beside and plugged in left to charge.The first four of these charging points have been set up in Dublin and unveiled by the ESB in March 2010, a further 1500 charging points are due to be put in place in Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Cork and Waterford. The Government see it as their priority to have these charge points throughout the expanse, unlike other countries who just seem to commission only on the big cities which are densely populated, their plan overwhelms the immediate inclusion of all towns with a population of over 1500 the great unwashed, with the expectation for nationwide insurance coverage after the success of the initial phase.The charge points will come in different types, varying in power rating which affects charge sequences. The postgraduateer power charge points are expected to charge a battery in 20 minutes these exalted power points are to be set up to replace filling stations along side motorways for in journey charging e. g. driving from Dublin to Cork. These high power juice points are expected to be put in place every 60km. The mid range points give a 2-3 hour charge, and will be placed at typical parking places e. g. charge while shopping or at work.The standard charge point with similar power to the standard socket found in the home, charge time at lower power should take 6-8 hours e. g. overnight charging at home. The Government expects to have 2000 electrically powered cars on the roads by 2 011, and are implementing taxation breaks for enthusiasts who purchase the more sustainable and environmentally friendly electric cars there will be a grant of up to 5000 and also Vehicle registration Tax (VRT) excluded, this combined with road tax exclusion would bring the electric car price down low enough to compete with the price of the common car with its Internal Combustion Engine.The grant aids will be in place for a maximum of 6000 cars, after which the scheme to get the high efficient cars on our roads would be seen as a success. With these tax breaks, a tax shortfall is foreseeable, combined with an expected cost of 39m to subsidise the first 2000 cars. The cars set for the Irish market come from Renault-Nissan, which limits the choice to a small number of cars. The Renault Fluence(left) and the Nissan Leaf (right) are the two models set for the Irish market, drastically decrease the choice which the consumer is used to.Renault is leasing the battery which powers the ca r for a price of 100 per month, whereas Nissan are still not sure if they are even going to include the battery in the price of the car. This will reduce the attractiveness of the cars, and further increase the be. Production of the electricity to power the cars In order to make the Electric Car sustainable, the electricity used to charge the battery would have to come from a sustainable and clean source. Irelands electricity at the moment comes from a range of power stations, with only 11% of the electricity coming from renewable sources.The majority of the countrys electricity comes from dirty unsustainable fossil fuelled power stations. This unsustainable electricity would be supplying the power to recharge the batteries of the electrically powered cars, which would eliminate the some benefits of carbon neutrality from the electric car. This table shows where all of Irelands electricity comes from in order for the electric car to be a complete success the supply of electricity m ust also be sustainable.The electric car company Tesla say that in the worst case scenario the car would only be producing 80g/km of CO2, even with the electricity coming from inefficient source, which is still lower than the most efficient Internal Combustion Engines available today. With Irelands high potential for wind energy production soon to be further exploited, the conversion from oil fuel to electrical could be seen as a change to self-sufficiency, not having to rely on ever declining supplies from the east.Effect of batteries, lifespan and replacement. In a conventional Internal Combustion Engine there are over 1000 moving parts, making it susceptible to break down or fail. In order to carry through these types of engine in good working order, regular servicing and caution has to take place. In the electric car their drive train is a simple electric induction motor which has only one moving part which greatly reduces the need for servicing and lowers maintenance costs.Th e batteries used in electric cars vary greatly depending on the size and weight of the car, a modern lightweight ZEBRA battery which makes use of new technologies and thoughts, is one type being used in a range of vehicles. A ZEBRA battery of 0. 12m3 and 184kg is capable of delivering double the energy of the old lead-acid battery of 0. 19m3 and 525kg this enables the car to be lighter which reduces the amount of energy needful to make the car move.The ZEBRA battery has been thoroughly tested and demonstrated a lifespan of over 14 years, with no gassing or self kindling this means the battery is maintenance free. lithium Exports in 2008 lithium Imports in 2008 Lithium production in the future The sustainability of the Lithium in the batteries is another issue which will have to be faced when considering the large scale adoption of electric cars. Lithium is already in high demand to power the some million mobile phone and laptop batteries in use around the world.Japan, China a nd South Korea have 98% of the worlds Lithium battery production. China is importing almost half of the bare Lithium with a plan to produce their own when the demand is there they feel that it is still cheaper and easier to import it presently. The huge demand for Lithium has sparked the need for research into new alternative ways of producing it. South Korea has announced its plans to commercially extract Lithium from sea water by 2015, but there is much doubt around the idea, as there is not enough demand to cover the enormous cost of desalinising huge volumes of sea water.The idea of extracting the Lithium from the sea water could become mainstream in a number of years when the consumers demand increases. Seoul has also set aside $12bn for attainment of the raw materials from Bolivia, which is believed to have the worlds biggest deposits at the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in the Altiplano plateau of the Andes Mountains. The salt flats have a thick crust of salt which covers a co nsortium of brine, which is rich in lithium. It is expected to contain 50 to 70% of the worlds lithium reserves.Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America but has over half of the worlds reserve of Lithium the extraction of the raw material could be the boost which the countries needs. The production of the Lithium would create employment for local communities, and revenue for the country giving improving the countrys economy. Often times with the extraction of raw materials, as seen worldwide, it is only the companies who see the profits, leaving the local communities out.The local botany and fauna is often exploited and driven out of their habitat, which can lead to extinction. Although the salt flats are almost lifeless there are some animals and make up life which frequent the area, Flamingos are one of the birds which use the flats as a breeding ground in early winter, these extravagant birds which get their beautiful colour from the food they eat which are nati ve to the salt flats. Many of the dominant countries have already allocated vast amounts of money to secure a steady supply of Lithium by buying into Bolivia reserves.Piles of Salt after extraction Salty brine from which the Lithium is extracted The Bolivian flag flying above Salt flats Alternatives to Lithium New studies being conducted, have found that Zinc-Air battery technology is proving to be a viable alternative to Lithium Ion batteries. The Zinc-Air idea is in early stages of development and production, and is expected to enter the market on small scale in products like hearing-aids if it proves successful there are plans in place to upscale the technology to mobile hones and laptops and further to electric cars. The research so far has brought about some promising findings for the Zinc-Air technologies it has the potential to deliver three times the power of the Lithium Ion battery, with reduced size and weight. Lithium-Air is another technology with expected potential for electric cars, but is only in early stages of development and wont be ready for large scale production in the near future. Performance, Maintenance of the engine, and lifespanThe electric car, unlike its predecessor with hundreds of parts, makes use of simple electric motors with only one moving part. This greatly reduces the amount of expected problems. The car itself will need maintenance, tyres and lights etc. Retraining the mechanics- The mechanics already trained to service and maintain common cars, would need their qualifications upgraded to deal with the electronics of the electronic car. Although the technology in the battery powered cars is straightforward, some further training would be needed to ensure the safe maintenance of electrical equipment.Appearance/Types- Performance- Standard internal combustion engine cars are rated with bhp and torsion whereas the electric motor has a kWh rating, but they are related. The prejudice connected with the electric cars, is that t hey are slow and wont be able to do all of the things typical oil fuelled engines can do. With the electric motor delivering all of its torque all of the time acceleration is no problem, 0-100km in 3. 7s faster than a petrol guzzling Porshe 911 GT-3. Peoples trust in the new technologyWith all new technologies comes doubt, people are often afraid of change and feel that things need time to prove themselves. The technology used in the electric vehicle has been around for decades seen as early as 1835 used in public transport. Over the years has become more refined and efficient, it has now switched its focus from public transport, where it is already in use, to the individual types of transport which causes so much pollution 20%-25% of CO2 emissions. The electric car is therefore not new technology as the stall on which it has been developed has been in use for already.This proving time should enable the immediate adoption of the electric car as there should be no prejudice. Teslas flagship, high performance roadster Tesla model S, 2012 family saloon Disposal of cars when finished, how much can be recycled The battery in Teslas electric car have a long lifespan of 160,000 kilometres before it begins to lose its ability to charge and discharge at the efficiency needed to keep the high up the cars high performance. The cells for the Tesla battery are made in Japan, where the environmental laws are strict and products have to meet the RoHS standards.The RoHS bans the placing on the EU market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. This means that there are no heavy metals or toxic materials allowing the battery to be land make full in a worst case scenario. Tesla batteries can be reused in other less demanding applications, off grid storage or load levelling when the demand for electricity is low but it is still production.This is a huge problem faced by power stations as there is huge costs involved changing power output between peak times. The batteries will eventually lose their ability to hold charge completely, at this stage they will need to be disposed of. Specialist companies have been set up to recycle batteries from electric vehicles, Kinsbursky Brothers an environmental management company and Toxco the worlds largest recycler of lithium batteries have teamed up to form the most efficient recycler of electric cars. The batteries are shredded and separated into their original elements, some of which can be reused in new batteries and other products.