• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Anybody own a Tesla?

#61
Funky Ghost said:
What's going to happen with all those batteries when they reach their use life? Not a single portion of them is recyclable as far as I know. Doesn't that put a damper on the entire "green" thing ultimately?
Click to expand...

For an EV the battery is generally considered no longer serviceable when its maximum charging capacity drops to about 70% of when it was brand new. A battery that can still hold 70% of its charge can be repurposed. Once it's completely useless, it can be recycled and reusable materials extracted.

EV batteries will have a longer service life if they're not constantly recharged to 100%. Many companies including Tesla recommend charging to 80%. Of course if you need 100% to reach your destination, you charge to 100%. Also, fast DC charging all the time is discouraged if you want to prolong the life of the battery. VW recommended using fast charging no more than for every other charge. Level 1 or Level 2 was preferred.

The Afterlife of Electric Vehicles: Battery Recycling and Repurposing - IER

Batteries have a limited life for electric vehicles. However, because they still have 70 percent of their capacity after electric vehicle use, there is a secondary market for them for home storage, street lights, elevators, data centers and other uses. Once these uses have expired, the battery can be recycled to obtain reusable materials, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. But, advanced processes are still needed to make recycling more economic. Several companies are working on the technology. However, if the electric vehicle market grows as these projections indicate, the resulting significant increase in the demand for battery and battery materials may be a major challenge for suppliers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Funky Ghost
#62
I don't get why there needs to be a 'Tesla killer'. How about we just leave the Tesla alone and let it be the cool, groundbreaking in a way, automotive machine it is.
It's inevitable others will come along with their own take on an electric vehicle, but let it be just that. Their take on the concept.
I think it would be a shame for Tesla to get pushed off to the side or go out of business at this point after all they've contributed to the industry and the way they pushed the envelope around electric technology in vehicles and elsewhere.

-Mike
 
  • Like
Reactions: DJ is a new bass player and Stewie26
#63
Alkali Ike said:
For an EV the battery is generally considered no longer serviceable when its maximum charging capacity drops to about 70% of when it was brand new. A battery that can still hold 70% of its charge can be repurposed. Once it's completely useless, it can be recycled and reusable materials extracted.

EV batteries will have a longer service life if they're not constantly recharged to 100%. Many companies including Tesla recommend charging to 80%. Of course if you need 100% to reach your destination, you charge to 100%. Also, fast DC charging all the time is discouraged if you want to prolong the life of the battery. VW recommended using fast charging no more than for every other charge. Level 1 or Level 2 was preferred.

The Afterlife of Electric Vehicles: Battery Recycling and Repurposing - IER

Batteries have a limited life for electric vehicles. However, because they still have 70 percent of their capacity after electric vehicle use, there is a secondary market for them for home storage, street lights, elevators, data centers and other uses. Once these uses have expired, the battery can be recycled to obtain reusable materials, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. But, advanced processes are still needed to make recycling more economic. Several companies are working on the technology. However, if the electric vehicle market grows as these projections indicate, the resulting significant increase in the demand for battery and battery materials may be a major challenge for suppliers.
Click to expand...


Interestingly at the bottom I found this:

China's New Environmental Problem: Battery Disposal
 
  • Like
Reactions: MJ5150
#66
With all the investment into the creation of the batteries Elon is doing, one wonders how much is going into their recycling at the end of their life. It seems to me that would be an expensive venture to initiate and ultimately very necessary. I would hope the main proponent of electric vehicles is also at the forefront of their proper disposal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MJ5150
#67
mrpackerguy said:
I would consider it but for the fact there are no dealers in WI. And I'm not trucking to Illinois for service.
Click to expand...

There are crap-tons of Teslas on the road here. The closest service center is Portland, about 100 miles away. But in many cases Tesla will come to you at no charge.

There are no Audi dealers here either but no shortage of Audis on the roads.

Invalid Link Removed

Our objective is that you enjoy every minute with your Tesla, and will not have to worry about anything else. If your service need can be met by a mobile technician, we will offer our Mobile Service option at no charge, based on availability. Our growing Mobile Service coverage means that in most instances we can come to you when and where you need it.
 
Last edited:
#68
I feel like an EV evangelist. Ha.

Funky Ghost said:
With all the investment into the creation of the batteries Elon is doing, one wonders how much is going into their recycling at the end of their life.
Click to expand...

Tesla is developing a 'unique battery recycling system' - Electrek

Tesla says that it doesn't have a significant number of battery packs currently coming back due to their end-of-life, but it has a few packs coming back from "R&D, manufacturing, quality control and service operations" and the automaker is recycling those batteries.

The company says that it is currently working with third-party recyclers for those:

"Today, we work with third-party recyclers around the world to process all scrap and end-of-life batteries to recover valuable metals. Our recycling partners work with us to ensure that non-valuable or non-recoverable materials from the batteries are disposed of responsibly."

But that's apparently a temporary solution as Tesla claims to be "developing a unique battery recycling system" at Gigafactory 1 in Nevada.

Tesla wrote in the impact report:

"At Gigafactory 1, Tesla is developing a unique battery recycling system that will process both battery manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries. Through this system, the recovery of critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt will be maximized along with the recovery of all metals used in the battery cell, such as copper, aluminum and steel. All of these materials will be recovered in forms optimized for new battery material production."
 
  • Like
Reactions: Funky Ghost
#69
At this point in my life, maybe being naive or ignorance due to not enough research, I trust Elon Musk and Tesla when it comes to electric vehicles and the battery technology more than anyone else out there.
Elon Musk does not strike me as someone careless who is out there to make a buck at the expense of everyone and anyone else, including the earth/environment.

-Mike
 
  • Like
Reactions: smeet, flojob, bholder and 2 others
#70
Right now recycling batteries is profitable due to the high cost of lithium. It will be interesting to see if this process can be sustainable when mineral prices are at a lower rate.

By the by, lithium is not a renewable resource. Much like petroleum, it is a naturally occurring resource with a finite amount for use.

A quick calculation shows that, if all conventional cars (those using petrol/gas or diesel) were replaced by electric cars, the world would run out of lithium in around five decades.


Food for thought.
 
#72
I haven't researched lithium but I will.

Coincidentally, 60 Minutes ran an interesting story last night about extracting rare earth elements from the ocean floor.

Why the U.S. is missing out on the race to mine trillions of dollars worth of metals from the ocean floor

Picture a lump of rock about the size of a potato. Now pack it with some of the most valuable metals on earth, like nickel, cobalt, and other minerals known as rare earth elements. There are trillions of these nodules, that's what they're called, just waiting to be picked up. The problem is they're on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The nodules were discovered more than a century ago. Now new technology has triggered a fierce competition to go get them. These metals are critical for modern life: cell phones, electric cars, and supercomputers. Nineteen countries, including China and Russia, have already jumped into the deep. But the one country on the sidelines? The United States.
 
  • Like
Reactions: malthumb
#73
MJ5150 said:
At this point in my life, maybe being naive or ignorance due to not enough research, I trust Elon Musk and Tesla when it comes to electric vehicles and the battery technology more than anyone else out there.
Elon Musk does not strike me as someone careless who is out there to make a buck at the expense of everyone and anyone else, including the earth/environment.

-Mike
Click to expand...

I just don't trust him. But I agree that he doesn't seem motivated by the almighty dollar.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MJ5150
#75
Funky Ghost said:
With all the investment into the creation of the batteries Elon is doing, one wonders how much is going into their recycling at the end of their life. It seems to me that would be an expensive venture to initiate and ultimately very necessary. I would hope the main proponent of electric vehicles is also at the forefront of their proper disposal.
Click to expand...

Hence SpaceX or his mining company?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back