Are Electric Cars Really Green?

Have you seen the advertisement for an all-electric car, the $ 500 offer from LIPA if you buy one or the GE individual recharger? Have you ever wondered what are the unintended consequences of an action, what has been left unsaid, examined or not even contemplated?

A mechanical engineering friend, who has been involved with electric car technology for more than twenty years, is convinced this is the way to go because of the increase in mileage per equivalent units of energy, i.e., miles per gallon (MPG) for gas operated vehicles versus miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) for electric cars. For more information on comparing apples to oranges, see Scientific American, July, 2010.

A vast amount of infrastructure work is needed to support electric cars and with that, new jobs and opportunities. If it is true that the maximum distance between recharge is 100 miles, what infrastructure is required? We’d have to build recharge stations. This would create construction jobs. There might be a need for attendants and staff – more jobs.

If recharging takes an hour, how large would the recharge station be? That would depend on how many cars you want to be able to recharge in an hour. What services would these new stations need to support since for safety reasons you wouldn’t want to wait in your car during recharging?

Is there an economy realized if you make recharge facilities identical? Because you have high and low traffic volume areas, you’d want to plan to accommodate the anticipated number of vehicles so the answer is no. And long trips will take time because of the number of required stops to recharge. In other words, what do you do with the kids for an hour?

How does one provide power to a new recharge station? The existing electric grid is inadequate for current needs, no pun intended. New power plants will have to be constructed. That will create jobs. Should they be nuclear? Is nuclear green? How do you transmit power? We’d have to build transmission lines that require electric substations. We can build substations – lots of them!

Mr. Don L. Short II, President of the Tempest Company, Omaha Nebraska was cited in Engineering News Record (July 5, 2010). He estimated what he thought it would take to drive cross country from New York to San Francisco. The 2,900 mile trip would require 290 recharge stations. This represents 6 % of the 46,900 mile interstate system implying close to 5,000 stations are needed for the interstate system. If interstate travel is one third of all miles driven, then an additional 10,000 stations are required. Maybe it’d be a good time to encourage those squirmy kids who ask, “Are we there yet”, to major in electric power generation. Has anyone seen an estimate of the carbon emissions to construct the support infrastructure for electric cars? How about the cost?

Rare Earth Elements

Do you recall your high school chemistry class and the Periodic Table elements number 57 through 103? Me neither. I was relieved when WIHS’ Mr. Cesarini said we didn’t have to memorize it. These numbers represent rare earth elements that are neither rare nor earth but actually metals. They are not to be confused with the seventies rock group, Rare Earth who is remembered for “I Just Want to Celebrate”.

The July/August 2011 issue of Discover magazine which features articles concerning science, technology and the future, has an article about the use of Lanthanides (as scientists prefer to call them) in cars, baseball bats, computers and iPods. From this article we learn that China contains 36% of the world’s 110 million tons of these materials yet they produce 97% of the world’s supply.

Rare earths bring light to our world. They can absorb UV rays and emit red and green colors necessary for television sets. This occurs when the outer three electrons change energy states and release visible light. This had been predicted by Max Planck and realistically explained by Albert Einstein in 1905. The subsequent derivation of quantum mechanics made it more easily understood. The cost of europium (red) and terbium (green) went up 75 percent in the first four months of 2011 and recently surpassed silver at $ 40 per ounce. Why?

Rare earths are highly magnetic and widely used in computers, power tools and head phones. 700 pounds and a wind mill can produce 2.5 megawatts of electricity. The Toyota Prius sips gasoline but uses 25 lbs of rare earths with 20 lbs. in the battery alone. The article states that neodymium cost shot up 150 percent in the first third of 2011 and lanthanum sevenfold, to $ 60 a pound. Why?

Perhaps you recall WIHS’ and Mr. Angelo’s six week class on supply and demand? Our Chinese Communist friends did not but they understand it. Uninhibited by US EPA regulations, China has gained a near monopoly on supply.

Last year the Chinese limited exports and the price of all rare earths shot up. In April, China extended a national ban on rare-earth exploration and opening new mines to keep prices high. Since “it takes 15 years to bring a new mine on line in order to comply with multiple state and federal regulations” in the United States, we better start looking for old mines or we’ll be like Don Quixote, jousting with wind mills, not celebrating.

A friend passed away.

John Aliprantis came to the United States as a 6 year old from an island in Greece, not speaking a word of English. He worked, mastered the English language, served in the US Army and received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Columbia University. He was a professional engineer, and senior vice president of Seeley, Stevenson, Value and Knecht, later known as STV Incorporated. John was responsible for the entire civil division, both design and construction, in the New York City office. This work included roads, bridges, airports, and rail. John created a cadre of professional civil engineers who were or became vice presidents capable of managing major projects for our clients. They were Rogers Thackaberry, Dick Posthauer, Jim Hynes, George Shearer, Bruce Smith, Dr. Peter Cheu, and Donald Yue. He gave them responsibility, and let them succeed. He was always there for them, if needed. He cared for the people who worked for him.

A patient man, reflective by nature, his hobby was making furniture, an exacting labor of love. Simply try to do wood joinery to see how much effort goes into it. He liked to dabble in stocks as well but John’s life was truly his wife and two sons. The job was second to them. Every once in a while, he’d mention what one or both of his sons had done. And if it was something that most parents would be upset about, he’d shrug it off saying, “Things happen”. John took great pride in Peter and Antonio as they were growing up, making decisions about college, life, home and marriage.

John was in St Francis hospital where I saw him for a few short visits late last April. He said he was there because of fluid around the lungs caused by a reaction to medicine. True to his stoic nature, he never mentioned cancer in our conversations. He went to Boston but what was prescribed had a negative effect. He came home and died July 2nd, about a week later. Donald and I went to the viewing. Surprisingly, we were the only ones he worked with who were there. In passing, he was surrounded by his loving family, grand children, relatives, neighbors and friends. He will be missed.

Hank Hessing