This is a lithium mine. It’s big, but is it big for a mine? or just big for a guy like me who is uninformed about the size of your typical lithium mine? No idea, but with potentially mandated EVs, they’re going to have to be crazy big and crazy common.
July 30, 2023
My cordless reciprocating saw died at an inopportune time today, but luckily I was able to just plug another battery on. Had it been my EV that died (disclaimer: I plan on never owning one), I would have had no choice but to wait for it to charge, providing, of course, I was lucky enough for it to die next to a charging station. You can’t just plug another M18 or 20vXR on; you’ve got to play with the cards you’re dealt. That’s fine, provided you get a good hand.
I’ve seen a dramatic inconsistency in both charge time and lifespan in seemingly identical batteries, even of the same age. I have a 6ah that makes similar power to a 4ah, lasts less time, and takes longer to charge. They’re similar in age, with similar charging cycles, but they’re just different. Did I get a good 4ah or a bad 6ah? I’m into both of them for under two-hundred bucks total, so I’m not that bothered. Imagine buying a Ford F150 Lightning for like six figures, and having it makes less miles-per charge than your neighbour. How about taking longer to charge? Want to hear the worst scenario? Having both of those problems and losing a race due to slower acceleration. I’m not saying that it will happen, but based on my experience with power tools, it could.
I was reading an article on thedrive.com the other day, and Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, said, “We’re not going to go to 600-mile range”. They don’t want the expense, nor do they want to try to pass it on to the consumer because it won’t sell. The batteries are big; they’re heavy, they’re expensive, and at some point, when they get so big, they no longer qualify for the tax credit, which is the glue that holds this whole EV mess together. Sure, the technology might get there, but we’re not there quite yet.
Remember when 400 horsepower was a big muscle car go-fast number? Now the pickup you drive to hockey games in December with the heated seats is putting out bigger numbers than that. I’m not denying that battery technology may get better, but I am confirming that I will not ever like them.
Why? A plethora of reasons, but the most recent one is that I took the mighty 4.3 v6 to redline about a half-hour prior to writing this, and it spoke volumes through that Magnaflow dual-exit muffler.
