LIthium mining for electric vehicles is incredibly destructive to the environment and about as far from “green” as you can imagine

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[–]catfishrising 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Yes, everyone knows that. And battery makers are working hard to find greener, cheaper alternatives. So in a few years lithium may be gone, replaced with silicon, magnesium, or aluminum.

[–]HiddenFox 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Hydrogen is the future. All the lithium on the planet would only produce 2 billion vehicles and that would leave nothing for anything else. While that sounds like a lot, that's only enough vehicles for half a generation of people.

Silicon, magnesium, and aluminum can work but will never be as effective/efficient. (Unless some sic-fi tech comes along. Possible but unlikely.) Also you have some of the same issues with mining and production as you do lithium.

If we can find a safe way to store Hydrogen then the problem is all but solved. Even many existing deiseal engines could be converted to Hydrogen. (and I think gas too but not 100% sure.)

[–]catfishrising 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The problem with hydrogen is that you'd have to build a fuckton of infrastructure for it.