Child slaves working for the cobalt in your batteries

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Some just might like to refer to them as child laborers but when four, eight and eleven year old children being beaten and whipped if they don't produce enough, spill some of the ore, and such like, then they are not laborers but slaves.

In the photo eight-year-old Dorsen is pictured cowering beneath the raised hand of an overseer who warns him not to spill a rock.

And what are they slaving for? So that you can drive an electric car, have a new smartphone every six months, and so forth. They are working for the western world's green energy crusade.

I have said more than once but will say it again and that is that the electric car, and especially its batteries, is not sustainable and it certainly is not ethical, and that includes the Tesla storage batteries for solar and wind home use.

Also with the demand and the cost of cobalt rising astronomically the price of the batteries is not going to come down making for electric cars as cheap as ICE-powered cars; the opposite rather and at what cost other than just the price.

But it is not only cobalt that child slaves are extracting from the earth. Other elements too, and in addition to that child slaves are also involved in large numbers in the “recycling” of E-waste to extract materials for use in smartphones and other electronic devices. The latter is also a very dirty and unhealthy business. But, hey, it's cheaper to use child slaves in foreign countries than to have the recycling, for instance, done at home under stricter conditions.

An army of children, some just four years old, working in the vast polluted mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where toxic red dust burns their eyes, and they run the risk of skin disease and a deadly lung condition. Here, for a wage of just 8p a day, the children are made to check the rocks for the tell-tale chocolate- brown streaks of cobalt – the prized ingredient essential for the batteries that power electric cars.

It is feared that thousands more children could be about to be dragged into this hellish daily existence after the historic pledge made by Britain – and other countries – to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2040 (or even before, as in the case of some other nations) and switch to electric vehicles.

Almost every big motor manufacturer striving to produce millions of electric vehicles buys its cobalt from the impoverished central African state. It is the world's biggest producer, with 60 per cent of the Planet's reserves.

The cobalt is mined by unregulated labor and transported to Asia where battery manufacturers use it to make their products lighter, longer-lasting and rechargeable.

The planned switch to clean energy vehicles has led to an extraordinary surge in demand. While a smartphone battery uses no more than 10 grams of refined cobalt, an electric car needs 15kg (33lb).

While the race to change from ICE-powered vehicles to electric ones may herald a future of clean energy, free from pollution but such ideals mean nothing for the children condemned to a life of hellish misery in the race to achieve his target.

We need to rethink how we drive and so on and also how we use energy and in which form.

© 2018

Cobalt production will have to quadruple by 2030 if demand is to be met

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Mining giant Celcore (LSE: GLEN) recently has announced in a study that in order to meet demand of “electro-mobility” the production of cobalt would have to be quadrupled by 2030 if demand is to be met. While not stated the same will more than likely be also true for other minerals and so-called rare earths. Whether this is feasible, however, is an entirely different question and scenario.

The experts from Glencore have not just considered the electric vehicles themselves but have included the entire infrastructure needed for a growth in EVs, from energy production, over energy transportation to the charging stations. The conclusion of the study is in shorthand that electro-mobility is a driver par excellence for growth with regards to raw materials.

In figures expressed it looks a little like this: For the year 2013 Glencore expects in the EV-sector an additional need for 4.1 million tonnes of copper, which would be equal to 18% of the entire copper production of 2016. As for nickel and cobalt the developments are rather dramatic. According to Glencore estimates in 2030 and additional 1.1 million tonnes of nickel will be required, which is 56% of the nickel on offer in 2016. In the cobalt department it is even worse. The additional need in 2030 is estimated to be an increase of 314% above the entire 2016 offer.

Cobalt is not as rare as many of the so-called rare earths which are needed in addition to all of this and which do not seem to fall into Glencore's remit and thus have not, apparently, been part of this study. It shows, in my opinion, once again how precarious the situation is as regards to our belief that electric vehicles and such are really able to replace the car, van, truck, etc., that today still, in the majority, are being powered by fossil fuels.

Anyone who believes that electric vehicles will be replacing all those gas and diesel-powered cars, trucks, tractors, combines, and so forth, better starts taking a very good and long look at the figures. It is not going to happen.

© 2017

Research reveals insights into the take-up of Electric Vehicles

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

TRL and TNS-BMRB were commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) to undertake an investigation into the responses of early adopters of electric vehicles (EVs) to both the Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) and Plugged-in Places (PiP) schemes. The research was published this week as part of the Government’s Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Strategy which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/driving-the-future-today-a-strategy-for-ultra-low-emission-vehicles-in-the-uk

The work explored the contribution of these two schemes to the uptake of EVs. Views and experiences were sought from both individuals and organizations as to their experience of buying, owning and using EVs. In addition, the barriers to adoption were also investigated, by obtaining the views of those who had recently bought a vehicle other than an EV.

The research was conducted in two strands: firstly, a quantitative survey to provide new data on the characteristics and charging behavior of private and organizational EV users. Secondly, qualitative research aimed at providing an in-depth understanding of the influence of the PiCG and the PiP scheme on the car purchasing decisions of both groups; the barriers to EV purchase, and factors that influence the driving and charging behavior of EV users.

The study identified that the PiCG was important in EV purchase decision; with over 85% of respondents deeming it important. Those who has purchased EVs felt the amount (£5,000 or 25% of the vehicle price, whichever is the lower) to be appropriate, and improved the affordability of EVs. Most non-EV owners were, however, unaware of the PiCG and it was recommended that a marketing strategy be developed to publicize the PiCG more widely.

Around 40% felt that public charging infrastructure was important in their decision to purchase an EV and many expressed a desire for there to be a more useable network of public charge points. They pointed to a lack of compatibility between different charge point providers as being confusing and frustrating for EV purchasers and users.

One of the main barriers to EV take-up was identified as lack of knowledge relating to many aspects of purchasing and using EVs, as well as the current range of the vehicles. Non-EV purchasers were concerned about the range that an EV could achieve, whilst EV owners did acknowledge that concerns over the range the vehicles could achieve had presented them with challenges as users. Finally, amongst non-EV owners, the purchase cost of the EV was also considered to be a barrier. Even with the reduction offered by the PiCG, EVs were often deemed unaffordable.

The full TRL report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236748/research-report.pdf

The problems with electric vehicles (EVs) is and remain the same regardless of what research and governments and that is that:

1. The are expensive to buy and the costs for them will only go up and not down as rare earth, etc. become more expensive and also energy for production.

2. Batteries have a very limited lifespan as do all and are about two-thirds to three-quarters of the cost of a vehicle for replacement and will need replacing about every three or so years.

3. The emissions created in manufacture and use may actually be higher even – despite of the fact that none being emitted by the vehicle itself during use – than those of cars and trucks with internal combustion engines.

4. The mining of the rare earth, rare and other metals, etc. for the building of EVs puts a serious strain on the environment.

And neither of those factors are considered and put into the equation when EVs are being promoted by industry, governments and even green groups as the answer to climate change. Electric vehicles are not going to save us. Only a total change in our use of personal transportation will, combined with other changes.

One can, therefore, but wonder whether the manufacturers of brown envelopes have had a field day once again. EVs are not carbon neutral, not even ultra low emission, if all factors are taken into account. Far from it, actually. So, why the lies. Think about it!

© 2013

Not so many cars

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

The proponents of the electric car are trying to convince us that if we could but replace all vehicles with internal combustion engines with electric vehicles that everything would be fantastic. But is that really so?

The truth is – looking at their full life cycle – elec tric cars and other vehicles are not a marked improvement over internal combustion engines in terms of environmental impact.

In order to understand and compare environmental impacts we much look at the full system. Something that, all too often, is not being done.

It is when we do that, however, that we discover surprising things like that natural gas electricity production from shale gas is not necessarily any better for the climate, and in the end the Planet, than coal power.

The best strategy, as with so many things, is to use less.

Replacing ICE vehicles with electric ones is NOT the answer (and the same goes for replacing gas engine power tools with electric and especially battery-powered ones). The answer is not needing to use so many cars and trucks in the first place.

Yes, this does mean a new and different approach to (personal) transportation to that which we have become accustomed to over the last five or so decades and a return to more human-powered transportation (machines and tools) and, also, animal-powered transportation.

The electric car is NOT the savior of the Planet that it is being made out to be especially as for the making of the battery alone, which will need replacing after a couple of years, rare earths and rare metals are required the extraction of which takes a great toll on the environment.

Neither the powers-that-be nor car makers – and even some green groups – are willing and prepared to tell the people the truth as to EVs and such and that we really will have to rethink how we travel.

One group – the first – fears a backlash from the people who have become so used to personal motoring and have been led to believe that that motoring is their (human) right and the second group fears for profits.

As far as some of the green groups are concerned who are reluctant to speak the truth about the electric car one can but guess as to the reasons for this; vested interest in EVs could, obviously, be one.

The time of personal motoring, as I have said before, is well and truly over and the sooner we all got used to it the better, and that includes the electric car. The latter is as unsustainable as the one with the internal combustion engine, and are no better either, despite what is being suggested to us.

© 2013

Just 2% plan to buy electric car in next five years

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

While a great number of people seem to think that electric vehicles may represent our motoring future, only two per cent of people are likely to buy an electric vehicle (EV) in the next five years according to a new survey.

Personally, I must say that I do not blame the people one little bit and that for more than one reason. The main one being the price of those things and the second one the fact that charging stations are still few and far between and that they just take still far too long to charge.

Despite Department of Transport claims that 2011 would be ‘the year of the electric car’ – offering hefty subsidies and advising councils to plan for an electric future – just 1,000 of the battery-powered vehicles were sold in the Britain in 2011. One thousand EVs is but a drop in the ocean and that way those vehicles will never go down in price as, putting it simply, the demand is not there.

And when specialist car insurance broker Adrian Flux asked 1,000 of its customers how likely they were to buy an EV in the next five years, just two per cent were seriously considering swapping the petrol pump for the charging point.

Nearly 70 per cent ruled out a switch entirely, with the remaining 28 per cent firmly in the wait and see camp.

While most of us agree that petrol and diesel-powered cars are unsustainable in the long term, it seems few of us are prepared to buy a car we feel has a high purchase price, limited range, long recharge times and questionable resale value.

However, the electric revolution is still charging forward despite the lukewarm appetite of the British people. In May 2012 alone, 60 charging points were opened in Oxford, making the city the EV capital of Europe with one charging point for every 2,400 people, the best ratio in the EU.

London has 654 charging points – the most in Europe – and British cities dominate the top 10 list of electric-friendly locations in the continent.
New charging stations will recharge an electric car battery in four hours, slashing previous charging times by 50 per cent, and future charging points could cut this time to just 20 minutes.

Presently, a domestic charge at 240 volts on a 13 amp socket could take between six and 10 hours to fully charge an electric car, although this will change significantly as technology improves, if we are lucky.

Although the majority of people’s car journeys are short, they still want to know that – if they choose – they could travel long distances in their car without having to worry about finding a charging station.

There are options available, such as range-extended electric cars with petrol or diesel generators to provide extra electricity and hybrid cars which recover energy from the movement and braking of the car.

While there are ever more new EVs coming to the market one car maker, the German firm AUDI, which is part of Volkswagen, has decided to ditch the idea entirely and concentrate on hydrogen fuel cell. The fuel cell that is yet another stupid idea and will only make money for certain people again.

So, could someone tell me again about the electric car being the future. The fact is that it is not. The future is human and animal powered transportation and the sooner everyone got that message the better.

The truth is that the age of personal motoring is all but over and will be as soon as oil become more and more expensive as we are coming to the end of its viable production. As a result of that also the electric cars and vans will become more expensive.

The only option that we have is a total rethink of the way we travel and where we live and work.

Human and animal power are the future and not the electric car or the car with hydrogen fuel cell. What that will mean for farming and food production I am sure everyone will understand by now as well.

Farming too, and everything else, will have to change and that means that the large machines also will be history as they are no longer usable; sustainable they never were in the first place.

We must rethink our ways and we must do it now...

© 2012

Lifespan of lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Given that frequently recharged lithium-ion batteries – as for e-cigarettes, for example – seems to last only a rather short time (in the case of e-cigarettes no more than a few months) the question is how will then those in electronic vehicles hold up.

When considering that replacement batteries for laptops and Netbooks, as well as cell phones, rum to almost a third of the cost of the device it stands to reason to ask what cost, in proportion, a replacement battery for an EV would be.

If the ratio of cost and lifespan does not improve then, in my opinion, the electric vehicle just does not and will not compute and is doomed to failure, in the long run.

Looking at it from the battery point alone with regards to lifespan and replacement cost electric vehicles, I am afraid, are not going to cut it (in the long run). Who would be able to spend a third of the price of the car on a new battery about every year or two?

Hybrids and cars on biofuel also will not do it in the long run as, once the oil is gone, the cheap and abundant oil at least, we just will not have the energy to make all those things, and we will especially not be able to mass produce cars cheaply, cars of any kind.

The future of transportation, and I hate to be a spoilsport, and of travel on a personal level, for the average person, is going to be, once again, walking and cycling and, maybe, if you are lucky, horse and buggy.

The time of personal motorized transport for the masses is coming to an end. This will be a good thing in the end for pollution will fall of rapidly and obesity also will come to an end.

The Planet and everyone else will be healthier...

© 2011

City of London parking concession changes

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

While electric vehicle charging points in London are spreading in a virus-like fashion and the use of electric vehicles (EVs) is rising June 20th saw the announcement of changes in the City of London's parking concessions for electric vehicles.

Those that currently park electric vehicles in the area of the City of London under the borough's electric vehicle scheme will see an increase in on-street parking from zero to £50 per year. Off-street parking, in the City's car parks, will go from nil to £2,000 per year in 2009. According to information this fee for off-street will then further increase to £4,000 per year by 2010 and to £6396 in 2011, making it then the same as the charges for a standard cars with internal combustion engines.

The reason for this dramatic change by the City of London that the borough has given is that although the programme had proved very successful it had, in their view, encouraged increased vehicle use within the borough.

No one, however, mentioned the subsequent air quality improvements through the use of zero emission vehicles anywhere in the announcement.

While the owners of electric vehicles (EVs) and advocates and dealers of those may lament this move by the Square Mile as a step backwards, the council justified its decision by arguing that those incentives had actually increased traffic in the area.

We can only assume that it was encouraging owners of electric vehicles from neighboring boroughs to park in the City of London where there was no charge for parking.

One can only believe that the borough has realized that too many people have switched from ICE vehicles to electric vehicles and that their parking revenues have gone down and they are worried to have this revenue disappear altogether over time.

Furthermore it may have been taking people away from London’s extensive public transit network. In both cases losing revenue to the boroughs and the coffers of the capital as a whole.

This does, obviously, draw on an interesting and continuing debate in the green movement, which is – do we encourage alternative private vehicles, or do we encourage alternatives to private vehicles? I tend to think the answer must be both. At times, unfortunately, will be occassions when one goal conflicts with the other.

In a complete contrast to the City of London's announcement, officials in Paris announced the start of an ambitious electric vehicle rental scheme. By the end of 2009, it is anticipated there will be 4,000 electric cars available for hire within Paris following the success of a similar bicycle rental scheme.

For those who are not familiar with London, The City of London is the area that is also known as the “Square Mile” and is but a small borough within central London. The term city of London here does not refer to the entire capital.

© Michael Smith (Veshengro), July 2008

Domino's Delivers Pizza in a ZAP

World's Largest Pizza Delivery Company Begins Test of All-Electric Delivery Vehicle

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (May 8, 2007) - As part of the company's Worldwide Rally in Las Vegas this week, Domino's Pizza tested delivering its pizzas using ZAP (OTC BB: ZAAP) all-electric vehicles supplied to them by The Electric Vehicle Company. As the pizza delivery experts, the electric vehicle deliveries reinforce Domino's desire to bring cost-saving, environmentally friendly delivery options to its stores around the world.

On Sunday, Domino's made actual pizza deliveries around the Las Vegas area in the ZAP electric vehicles.

"Today it is not uncommon to have your Domino's pizza delivered by bicycle, scooter or car around the world," said Jim Stansik, Domino's executive vice president of Franchise Development. "Looking toward tomorrow, Domino's is committed to also being a responsible consumer of our planet's natural resources by testing the feasibility of using electric vehicles in our stores."

The Electric Vehicle Company (EVC) of Chicago is making its all-electric vehicles available to consumer product companies for use as an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient option for conducting deliveries, mobile advertising and event marketing programs.

It's ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) line of XEBRA cars, pickup trucks, ATVs and scooters are perfect for driving around cities and at special events - even indoors - with worrying about harming the environment. Their unique styling will definitely catch consumers' eyes and can be easily wrapped with signage.

"Mobile event marketing and advertising with an electric ZAP vehicle not only allows a company to send a message about its product in a unique and cost-effective way, but also delivers a message that the company cares about the environment," says EVC president Larry Spatz.

The ZAP XEBRA is the only federally declared, street-legal, 100 percent electric car that plugs into any 110-volt outlet - the same outlet that is found in and outside every home, garage and office. The XEBRA is considered by ZAP as a 'city-car,' an all-electric design for city-speed driving up to 40 MPH. The XEBRA comes in a 4-door sedan or pickup truck with a convertible dump/flat bed. It plugs into a 110-volt outlet for a full charge in up to six hours and a 50 percent charge in up to 1.5 hours. Range varies up to 40 miles per charge depending on charging, speed, driving conditions and other factors. Fueling is estimated to cost 1-3 centers per mile while maintenance costs one-third that of gas due to the reduction of moving parts, less wear and replacements.

"Rising energy costs have become a major concern when budgeting for mobile advertising and event marketing programs," added Bob Kopach, EVC vice president of sales and marketing. "At $3 per gallon gas and higher, driving an all-electric ZAP XEBRA makes a lot of financial sense."

Details about The Electric Vehicle Company and ZAP vehicles can be found at http://www.planetevc.com.

About ZAP

ZAP has been a leader in advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 90,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. At the forefront of fuel-efficient transportation with new technologies including energy efficient gas systems, hydrogen, electric, fuel cell, ethanol, hybrid and other innovative power systems, ZAP is developing a high-performance crossover SUV electric car concept called ZAP-X engineered by Lotus Engineering. The Company recently launched a new portable energy technology that manages power for mobile electronics from cell phones to laptops. For product, dealer and investor information, visit http://www.zapworld.com.

About Domino's Pizza®

Founded in 1960, Domino's Pizza is the recognized world leader in pizza delivery. Domino's is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "DPZ." Through its primarily franchised system, Domino's operates a network of 8,394 franchise and Company-owned stores in the United States and more than 55 countries. The Domino's Pizza® brand, named a Megabrand by Advertising Age magazine, had approximately $5.1 billion in global retail sales in 2006, comprised of $3.2 billion domestically and nearly $1.9 billion internationally. During the first quarter of 2007, the Domino's Pizza® brand had global retails sales of $1.2 billion, comprised of nearly $770 million domestically and approximately $471 million internationally. Domino's Pizza was named the "Chain of the Year" by Pizza Today magazine, the leading publication of the pizza industry and is the "Official Pizza of NASCAR®." More information on the Company, in English and Spanish, can be found on the web at http://www.dominos.com.

Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT:

Dana Harville
Domino's Pizza
Public Relations Manager
(734) 930-3741

Bob Kopach
The Electric Vehicle Company
312-852-0132

Alex Campbell
ZAP
Public Relations
707-525-8658 x 241
acampbell@zapworld.com