California’s Lithium Valley could power electric vehicle industry | 60 Minutes

As the U.S. auto industry goes green, companies are developing lithium extraction for batteries in California’s Imperial Valley. Bill Whitaker reports.
#electriccar #electricvehicle #battery
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[@jaredspencer3304]

I appreciate the Audubon man's pragmatism. The reality is that most people can't focus on environmentalism until they're financial secure; worldwide, conservation is largely led by people who aren't fighting for survival. So balancing environmentalism with economic progress gets the best of both worlds.

[@neeljavia2965]

Exactly. And he seemed sensible enough to understand that preserving environment doesn't mean you just stop progress.

[@jrmcpuff-n-stuff7524]

He’s on the lithium company’s payroll

[@Gcanno]

Got It Stick To The Current Way Of Thinking Which Puts People Into Poverty .

[@luke_cohen1]

The good is that Lithium Valley is based in California which has some of the strictest environmental regulations along with huge incentives and subsidies (on a state by state basis) towards renewable and green energy sources. These companies can make money but their dollars must benefit the local communities as much as possible while doing so.

[@khunopie9159]

Environmentalism is largely a scam on the level of "public health" Used to wield control over the population

[@joeblack4436]

Lithium is not scarce. The challenge is to extract it cleanly. I was blown away by the company that is essentially putting the water back in the ground cleaner. That is par excellence. The Salton Sea, much like the dead sea, is also a prime body of water for floating solar. The waters are calm. And, then you have the dual benefits of the electricity produced as well as fractionally lower evaporation with every installation. A win-win. To top it off there's the geothermal potential. That region could become an energy hub like few others.

[@mrtopcat2]

Promises given. Promises broken. When you realize the costs, you will INSIST to buy Lithium batteries that are made in China. Just like you insist to buy anything else from China. So please don't kid yourself. You care about the environment only as long as you think someone else will pick up the tab. It is all about your consumption.

[@dennisg4053]

Except California already ADDED a Very high Lithium Extraction Tax. A tax so high... That is if the price of Lithium ever drops substantially... The Company would Owe more in Extraction Taxes.. Then the Lithium itself was worth. One company ALREADY abandoned a HUGE Lithium Project ... Once THAT Tax was passed into Law.

[@lucaskp16]

why in the world would you put floating solar in a lake, MORE so a salty lake. a ground installation is already cheaper and doesn't have to deal with corrotion. terrible idea. when the only thing that people care about grid energy is the cost. just because you can do something doesn't mean is a good or even decent idea

[@newfreenayshaun6651]

If solar was actually practical and not so expensive, the Great Salt Lake would have already been covered years and years ago. It still doesn't absolutely need to be covered in solar panels, should people figure out and start utilizing Nicola Tesla's technology, the exact stuff that your government is hiding

[@danielcarroll3358]

@@lucaskp16 There is actually something a bit (only a bit) like the floating proposal. Sometimes canals are roofed over with solar arrays. No more land is needed. The electricity production increases because cells are more efficient when cooler. And water evaporation is reduced. A win, win, win situation.

[@mowcowbell]

I own a Stellantis product... a '23 Jeep Wrangler 4xe. The 17kWh battery pack provides enough range for me to work each day without using any gas. With 375hp and 470lb/ft of torque, it is a blast to drive.

[@sergiyavorski9977]

That jeep's upkeep will cost you an arm and a leg in the future. The electrification will cause prices of everything to skyrocket and your taxes will be much higher.

[@mowcowbell]

@@sergiyavorski9977 that's your opinion. I'm enjoying driving hundreds of miles on a few dollars of electricity. Top open, too.

[@owenkittredge3433]

@@sergiyavorski9977 That the upkeep will cost you an arm and a leg in the future. Were will all the gasoline come from? It will cause prices of everything to skyrocket and your taxes will be much higher. I will stick with my horse and buggy hay is everywhere.

[@blackout7615]

Where does your electricity come from? Most likely coal and natural gas. You drive a fossil fuel vehicle just like everyone else and when your battery has a dead cell you are going to want a combustion engine and not a battery pack.

[@mowcowbell]

@@blackout7615 Electricity in my area is 30% wind, the rest is mainly natural gas.

[@RiannaRichardsOfficial]

❤❤❤ Finally, there is a piece of positive news this week! Thank you!

[@scpdatabase969]

The Salton Sea is a great place to visit when doing a road trip in the area. Hopefully this kickstarts the economy there again so more people visit. You can fly a drone over the sea for half it's battery and barely get anywhere. It's HUGE.

[@KB-ke3fi]

Yeah it's so clean and pretty there.

[@Kenobi_Cowboy]

There's a reason the Navy was out there in the 40's. It's literally a "Sea"

[@maozedung7270]

We have no energy crisis , we have a spiritual one.

[@ronkirk5099]

Back in the day, we used to fish, swim and water ski at the Salton Sea, but now the salt has become so concentrated it is mostly dead and the salt pans around the shore quickly becoming an ecological disaster. Good to see it might be put to some good use. Li-ion batteries are the best technology now, but battery technology is still evolving and Sodium-ion batteries may quickly reduce the need for Li and Iron-air batteries may become the solution for grid scale energy storage.

[@chrisbarnhart4178]

😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@foxrex351]

Nerd

[@larryg7109]

Right now, they are just adding sodium to lithium to make batteries, but that can change. You are correct. There is no promise of a boom.

[@philborer877]

I agree but every type of battery will find it's niche. The world is going to need so many batteries over the next 50 years that every type of battery will be in use. By that time I'll be dead so they can figure it out in 50 years.

[@caddy1001]

Mining this area would be shameful...period.

[@baddoggie101]

A minor correction: lithium is not a "dense" metal, but quite the opposite.

[@hagestad]

Major correction - how are they suppose to be competitive to cheap batteries and cars from China? California is by far the most expensive place to do it.

[@Kenobi_Cowboy]

@@hagestad Who cares? China is done. I expect a Pan-American industry will run within a decade from Argentina to Canada. The Americas will become its own powerhouse of things, and the food will be amazing. If they kick out the meddling folks from elsewhere dividing their people and countries on the continent, and in the Caribbean, they will not need anything further from any part of Asia/Europe/Middle East. Sustainable badassery. Tacos included.

[@Kenobi_Cowboy]

It's easily available like sand for Silicon Valley. It's just bringing the process closer to home.

[@ocker2000]

Yes, here in Europe we found a massive supply of Lithium in France. Same benefits there.

[@adimart2214]

this is more than anywhere in the world including France

[@Brian-pq2mo]

Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and Lithium Valley dammmm

[@confirmhandle]

Most commercial lithium extraction is from salt-flat brines through a process of evaporation and chemical recovery. Lithium is also recovered from lithium-bearing ores, such as spodumene, through a process that involves crushing, roasting and acid leaching.

[@DissYraiN]

and it still ravages usable lands and pollutes groundwater. support hydrogen fuel cell.

[@pascalouellette8516]

Oh yeah, and what will the environmentalist do to this mining, shut it down or no permits....

[@o0o-jd-o0o95]

As long as we're reducing our dependence on China then I'm all for it

[@thecapricorn11]

😂

[@robbetts]

Amen to that.

[@blackout7615]

That's so xenophobic and racist. We need to rely more on them and partner up with them like boe jiden did.

[@philborer877]

I'm glad to see this area is finally in use. I learned about it 3 years ago. But they still aren't moving fast enough.

[@TheBandit7613]

They have to wait for environmental impact studies and permits. It can take 10 years to build a house in California. Suzanne Somers house in Malibu burned a few years ago. She ended up moving. She said she's too old to wait for the permit to rebuild her house. It may not have been done in her lifetime.

[@thegreatone11]

​@@TheBandit7613 ah Susan summer was a beautiful lady.

[@andrewschliewe6392]

Why when one can get lithium cheaper from overseas. Remember, CA is heavily taxing lithium production in that area.

[@TheBandit7613]

@@andrewschliewe6392 Not enough available. Imagine how much lithium we need if we are going to start replacing cars and trucks. Haven't even scratched the surface yet.

[@philborer877]

@@andrewschliewe6392 why? Because the amount of carbon put into the air when transporting across the world is in the millions of tons. To acquire minerals close to home. Saves huge on carbon and reduces costs even if there is a little extra taxing going on. Taxes aren't that much of an issue in the whole grand scheme of things.

[@Phillip_Reese]

it feels like old news already, so many other 'things' are happening but it is a nice view of that old forgotten area. GOOD!

[@MeLoSonn]

This really is an eye opener and motivates me to focus more on the needs of our future.

[@Mike-lt6sj]

😅

[@marqueemark5917]

No global warming!

[@user-cw2py6wh8l]

Government should give tax break to companies that offers full-time work from home. Then you don't need so many vehicles.

[@AdamBorseti]

This all sounds too good to be true.

[@davidmcdonald9180]

Not just cars, grid storage, cell phones, bikes, lawnmowers, snowblower the lithium Ion and LFP batteries use is going to grow exponentially.

[@CarbageMan]

Grid storage and vehicles dwarfs all the rest.

[@blackout7615]

And we will burn fossil fuels to generate the electricity to charge them.

[@gaberoyalll]

And humanoid 🤖 robots

[@billyballsup2685]

It's a disaster waiting to happen. Better of making coal power stations cleaner. It's already mainly in after coming out of chimneys now.

[@fireofenergy]

We need more info like this, from respected news sources, like 60 minutes, to continually inform the public about how cheap the solar battery infrastructure will be - as long as we mine and refine at the same scale as we do for gasoline, now. Thanks!

[@TimJr.]

60 Minutes WAS respected.. A couple decades ago.

[@disinformationstation2072]

Lol, you still respect modern mainstream media?? What decade are you living in? Lol at you.

[@CarbageMan]

🤣He said "respected." 🤣

[@fireofenergy]

@@CarbageMan It's definitely looked up to by millions whether or not anti Tesla or anti American sentiment is, really projected by them. I haven't watched 60 minutes in years, so, I wouldn't really know, compared to how the rest of the mainstream seems to be that way.

[@fireofenergy]

@@TimJr. See my other comments under this thread...

[@JasonCarmichael]

Tesla, Lithium, Refinery, Texas

[@Toby_Flenderson_1982]

"Operational in just a few months..." Famous last words... I do hope this takes off.

[@andrewschliewe6392]

I'd say 2/3 of everything mentioned in the segment will never occur.

[@jasonschlegel4027]

60 Minutes - after all these years you are among my favorite sources.

[@Livlifetaistdeth]

That blue/purple suite coat is the most car salesman coat I've ever seen.

[@joshua.snyder]

Ion exchange resins have been around for many years. Fascinating approach.

[@MikeJava]

It's so refreshing to watch a news story that is not politically charged. It's sort of like "hey here is some progress we are making and the world is becoming a better place for it..." have a nice day.

[@tvm73836]

You're so right! I hate watching any news these days because no one thinks of their country and it’s just ideological blabber. This segment was a breath of fresh air.

[@John-ir2zf]

Sad that you are that naive.... Soooo, 60 minutes and everything they do ISNT politically motivated ?? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Stop falling for the scam. Why do you think that the climate zealots like Obama (and the other rich globalist) are buying beach front at record pace ? Seeing as they scream that despite being in an ice age (which we are) that sea levels are going to DROWN THE WORLD in 15 years ? Guess you don't remember the "ice age scare" they all pushed in the late 70s either, huh ? Or the big "oil scare" of the 80s ? WORLD DEPLETED OF OIL RESERVES IN 10 YEARS !!!! they said Then they tried the "global warming scare".... but after it was proven overall Temps have actually DROPPED, they switched it to "climate CHANGE scare"... so no matter what way it goes, they can fear monger with it.

[@CarbageMan]

If it's dirty green, it's politically charged.

[@Briguy1027]

Odd that they would call lithium dense. I could swear it's near the beginning of the periodic table.

[@doujinflip]

Probably meant energy dense, as well as physically when crunched together into a battery cell. Water is likewise denser than oil despite being only three atoms wide compared to the long chains of an -ane molecule.

[@victorhopper6774]

@@doujinflip water is not a element

[@tedbozarth8300]

“if I could turn back my crystal ball” 😂

[@zachansen8293]

No mention of tesla groundbreaking the same day?

[@TalonID]

This is the 2nd attempt at Lithium Extraction within the same 10 square miles. There are some real issues with pulling this off. I hope the teams get it right as the last were too arrogant to listen to those that could help them perfect the process. Hint, don't try to apply Heat Management Systems late in the design cycle, when you're low on development cash...

[@tommersch4296]

Has berkshire-hathaway learned the horrible dangers that make you quake?

[@awesomo9k]

Didn't you hear the guy in the outdated wing-tipped suit and wacky shirt? This is going to usher in an entirely new INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION!

[@Jim-Tuner]

NONSENSE. Science is magic and stop questioning authority.

[@jillcrowe2626]

The stench of the Salton Sea is overpowering. The whole area is full of vegetable farming. It uses clean water from the Colorado river.

[@jackrandom4893]

Come to Wyoming. We have lithium near Rock Springs.

[@alexgoslar4057]

Thank you for sharing. This is good news.

[@linguist8623]

@60 Minutes ShiYan, HuBei Province, PRC, and MianYang, SiChuan Province, PRC, have a lot of carbon capture technology already in-place, though minimal in scale. They had such in-place and expanded, from the 90's until now. I know, because I worked and lived in those areas, and helped with energy design. We can do such in the US too, with US and allied tech, collaboration, with better quality, too. Let's make the US very high-tech, clean, and industrial, as a new "industrial tech revolution" heats up.

[@GRINGOf10]

Ok Chinese spy

[@GamerplayerWT]

I would recommend that they take ALL the minerals from the underground slurry and refine them, and store them… because we’re eventually gonna need them, instead of shoving them back underground after removing the lithium only.

[@SpaceTravel1776]

And it's so easy to do that, so why not? Just snap your fingers and extract all the minerals, right? Good plan my man, I'm sure you will supply the capital, provide the technology, and handle the storage, sales, and shipping logistics. Thanks bro.

[@abdiganiaden]

@@SpaceTravel1776 Lol he’s naive, leave him alone.

[@2cartalkers]

They are storing them......underground.

[@bobfoster687]

@@SpaceTravel1776 A guy named space travel criticizing and idea. Amazing!!!

[@ronaldking1054]

It doesn't matter right now as the same slurry is going to be pumped again to extract energy. Take the stuff needed now so that it can be stored in the same thing that will be heated and pumped again. Why pay to store something that is not needed to be used?

[@hjp242]

Love the way he ends this!

[@user-xm7dx1eu9k]

Look people lithium is even more rare by 50 times then petroleum and it is no more renewable than petroleum and you still have to burn petroleum to process the lithium

[@Ojames600]

Everyone talking about batteries for EVs, they are not talking about the big market with grid energy storage and home energy storage. Being able to store all that excess energy being produce is a game changer

[@ProXcaliber]

If you think about it, as EV and battery technology in general improves, we could see EV batteries also being used as part of that storage system. Especially with EVs like the Ford lightning as an example that have the capability to also share its battery storage with a home if needed.

[@1serhiy]

The benefits of lithum, weight and enegery density, are not that relevant to Grid / Home storage. There are multiple companies that are ditching lithium and using less energy dense chemistires in an attempt to bring the price down, allowing for larger installations.

[@roostercogburn7243]

Tesla was a free energy guy. Elon's company are not free energy vehicles.

[@stephensullivan1011]

True, true, true. Fax man. That was going thru my head during this video. Let's go clean energy!

[@tinyturnip7676]

The key is to have a renewable power grid, like our current electrical one, so we can transport ourselves without the concern of being stranded in the middle of Nebraska with no power stations.

[@tayler2396]

How is it a "dense metal" with atomic number 3? Are the atoms packed especially tight? It seems like small disposable lithium batteries are very lightweight.

[@tvm73836]

You're one the few smart people watching this segment!

[@michaelayeni177]

Probably talking about its energy density or eletron density (electrons produced over atomic weight) rather then weight.

[@Laminar-Flow]

It's low atomic weight and small atomic radius is precisely what gives it such high energy density. He was talking about it being an energy-dense metal; in fact, it is the most energy dense metal at more than 700 Wh/kg in its pure state. Nothing can even come close to it's energy density, or unit charge per (light) weight. It also has the highest specific heat capacity of any solid element.

[@adventureseeker9800]

Interesting, very interesting that there's an active geothermal field there (Salton Buttes) and all that Lithium as well as a multitude of mineral deposits specifically right in that area which is exactly the same area to southeast of the lake right where the San Andreas Fault starts!

[@ryonsanders4045]

Vehicles per year sounds great until you realize that number is reduced to 0 when a current years batteries have to be replaced 10 yrs later…. Or does production magically double when resources are used to maintain existing vehicles?

[@shmookins]

Fantastic news. This is what I like to hear. And the products being in cars by 2025 is very fast as well.

[@andrewschliewe6392]

Don't count on it and don't be surprised if the batteries are 20% more expensive.

[@shmookins]

@@andrewschliewe6392 You're thinking short term. Think bigger. Imagine the effect of the US and West in general having chips and battery factories and how that will play out in the decades to come. Imagine how things could be different with and without such projects in the year 2050, for example.

[@Kenobi_Cowboy]

@@shmookins Agreed man the long-term is the goal. We've pulled a lot of manufacturing back to America. Chips, batteries, steel...etc. That is jobs up front but that is also sustainable because we don't have to ship it anywhere. Back to American basics- we'll do it better, smarter, and harder.

[@tekiwi]

Only thing is by 2045 in California and many other U.S States you we won't have the energy production to run anything if you don't get busy building electrical storage facilities if you want ALL this supposed "Clean Energy" Lol

[@shmookins]

@@tekiwi Time to start working. We 'only' have 22 years to get it done. :)

[@turbostixxx]

Cool story. Tesla just broke ground in Texas for a new lithium refining plant yesterday. Should be fully operational and ramped to full production in 2 years. These normally take 6-8 years to come online normally. Good for 1,000,000 EVs to start and able to be expanded as needed.

[@Mike-lt6sj]

Where's the copper and nickel coming from?

[@crazyivan2905]

​@@Mike-lt6sj great question. Also, wheres the people to buy these expensive e.v's? Middle class is dieing in this country.

[@TheMagicJIZZ]

​@@Mike-lt6sj Indonesia

[@makerspace533]

Canada

[@phillyphil1513]

Taiwan

[@litestuffllc7249]

Rotomatic - I just went and searched this answer to water used for iron ore refinement -"Iron ore sintering consists of heating a layer of fines until partial melting occurs and individual ore particles fuse together. For this purpose, a traveling-grate machine is used, and the burning of fine coke (known as coke breeze) within the ore generates the necessary heat". So zero water is involved, "steel is putting iron into a Steel is made from iron ore, a compound of iron, oxygen and other minerals that occurs in nature. The raw materials for steelmaking are mined and then transformed into steel using two different processes: the blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace route, and the electric arc furnace route." No water directly involved in the process. Lithium is rare in the earth's crust so the water is used ot make a slurry of lithium rich ore and let it precepitate out. The water is used in these huge pools. While much of the water evaporates into the air; the more pools you have to process lithium water is in use at a given time. This is why Lithium for EVs is a dead end.

[@zanshin720]

Geothermal power plant generates power for lithium mining and refining.

[@linguist8623]

"...more than half the world's supply of lithium.." Wow.

[@stephensullivan1011]

Current. Yep

[@tonysu8860]

I think that's a pure guess. Not sure how they can estimate that much based on what is known.

[@linguist8623]

@@tonysu8860 Thankfully, it is not a pure guess. We have the knowhow, expertise to know... I'll leave it at that. Therefore, it is not a pure guess on his end.

[@MamaLifeBre]

Can u guys prevent the salton sea from drying up while you're at it?

[@stephensullivan1011]

Lol. That'd be great

[@doujinflip]

Why though? It was never supposed to even exist to begin with

[@adimart2214]

it was an accidental lake let it dry up

[@garylangley4502]

I've lived in San Diego and Yuma AZ for most of my life, so I know the area well. It has gone from a vacation/recreation spot to a ghost town. The people that live there are mostly squatters. As the Salton Sea has evaporated, the concentration of minerals has increased, so less and less aquatic life can survive there. With that, the area smells horrible. The shores are covered with dead shrimp. I didn't know about the geothermal wells activity there, and that sounds great. It seems that the other minerals there could be mined and sold also.

[@bobbydennis8333]

We could have a fully functional society. We don’t. But we could 🍾🥂

[@user-nz9dw7fv8s]

Sounds promising. I just hope they don't produce any pollution.

[@valdivia1234567]

Lol

[@stevecoffman2559]

Sure. Don’t want ‘clean’ energy electric cars to pollute. That would just be crazy ironic

[@CarbageMan]

Sadly, dirty green isn't clean. It's 95% scam. Plug-in hybrids aren't that bad.

[@CarbageMan]

@@stevecoffman2559 That's exactly what's happening.

[@firehorse2008]

Sounds too good to be true. I never trust industry representatives that claim their factory is super clean. I don't think that is 100% steam being released. Also skeptical of pumping processed brine back into the ground.

[@E1VM]

Yes it probably is too good to be true. Remember, 60 minutes also said Trump was a Russian asset and January 6th was an insurrection...

[@sparky2008sparky]

Li batteries energy density still pales in comparison to fossil fuels. 1000 times less There is no denying this.

[@davidmenasco5743]

​@@sparky2008sparkyThe question is A) will the electric car get you where you need to go, without costing a lot more? And B) Will the gas car cause the climate to go haywire and flood out millions of people in just the US? A the answer is YES. B the answer is YES.

[@FOX11GUY]

Coal goes into the furnace when you plug in a fast charge EV. No tail pipe doesn't mean no emissions.

[@davidmenasco5743]

@@FOX11GUY Actually, you're wrong. About 40% of EVs sold in the US are in California. And California has decommissioned all of its coal plants (because they are too expensive to operate). Since those plants were decommissioned, they have added so much solar generation that there were no more rolling blackouts even during the massive statewide heat wave of 2022. The cost of continually refueling and continually repairing and maintaining coal plants is very high compared to wind and solar. For this reason, coal is rapidly disappearing as a power source, across the US. Natural gas is also more expensive than renewables and is also shrinking in its share of energy generation. If the Republicans don't force the country back to the stone age, we'll see the US grid as a whole go over 80% emissions free within a decade. And close to 100% within the decade after that.

[@alfredadler9140]

The new gasoline. I am sold.

[@ENNESdESIGN]

guess Tesla forgot to pay their CBS monthly subscription...good for them!

[@russell2449]

I wonder why you failed to mention the fact that Tesla JUST BROKE GROUND in Texas on the first lithium REFINERY here in the US??? It, like a lot of other industries Elon has disrupted, will revolutionize lithium refining and will be the LEADER in clean/green lithium, something I think would have been worth mentioning.

[@bsmusic2601]

No no, ELON BAD lol

[@levismith7444]

I had no idea lithium could even be mined that cleanly

[@marythompson4654]

It can’t

[@johnreese3762]

Super video! Great news!!

[@coyote5851]

It’s so clean you can taste it

[@dansmithorsomething4359]

Lol, when you mention 'clean' so many times, something tells me that it's not clean.

[@tylerpetit33]

I'm curious what the potential risks this may have to the water table as they pump the brine back underground. But, this is also huge positive news!

[@M.Mae.M]

This really changes nothing as they have been doing it for years. The only change is lithium is removed.

[@mrtopcat2]

@@M.Mae.M So were you told. Please do a bit more research. Also please research what other materials needed to make these batteries. Hint: lithium is not the only one.

[@tonysu8860]

The Salton Sea is already considered a dying if not nearly dead sea due to lack of water.

[@lahaina4791]

​@@mrtopcat2 Zambonium also. 😅

[@KelValMax]

60 minutes producers... please adjust the audio on the bumper. It's too hot. It's been too hot for years now.

[@lynnwood7205]

How long before re injection of the de lithiumized brine reinjected into the deposit field dilutes the brine that is run through the power generation and lithium extraction cycle?

[@om7303]

Too many 60 minutes viewers need to direct attention to their Denny's 55+ menu rather than leave these embarrassing comments.

[@Alexzw92]

Hahaha

[@kevinmatheson-fi7jt]

You sound like you work at dollar general

[@Alexzw92]

@@kevinmatheson-fi7jt You sound like you are offended

[@kevinmatheson-fi7jt]

@@Alexzw92 nobody was talking to you little man. Go find a corner to stand in

[@ProXcaliber]

Lmao, good one!

[@thatlegendaryguy9480]

My boy can’t stop smiling through the interview 🤣💲

[@phillyphil1513]

ikr...? question that smile.

[@lawerancelanham]

Who else remembered that Vice video on the Salton Sea while watching this?

[@ztirffritz252]

EnergyX has developed a method to refine lithium without the massive evaporation pools. This site combined with EnergyX could be a game changer.

[@jamiepatterson1214]

Okay, lithium is available for the manufacture of rechargeable batteries. But the main question still hasn't been answered. Will there be enough clean, reliable electricity available to charge every EV predicted to be sold in the coming years? California has already suffered an order not to charge EVs because of insufficient power supply.

[@davet766]

Of course there will be. On beloved governor wouldn't be so stupid as to outlaw the manufacture and sale of ICE vehicles in 2035 if it wasn't so. Fantasyland used to be a spot in a Disney park. It now engulfs the entire state.

[@bman6502]

Jamie, providing necessary “total” power is not the problem if our power usage were constant. The problem is we have spike demands… the key will be power storage…

[@jamiepatterson1214]

@@bman6502 Spike demand is something I forgot about, but is indeed a problem. And unless I miss my guess, spike demand is a cause of brown and blackouts. Your thought on storage is a nice idea, but where would the cells be placed? There would be a need for additional equipment in order to store electricity.

[@bman6502]

@@jamiepatterson1214 correct.. basically we’d have to build very large battery packs, which we’re currently partnering with Tesla on in California.. providing power for electric cars to charge at night is not an issue as we have plenty of night capability to produce power.. in fact, most hydro plants are reduced at night because we have excess electricity at night.. the 6 million dollar question is how to flatten out the use curve, or expand battery storage to 10x what we have now…

[@jamiepatterson1214]

@@bman6502 Flatening the use curve is an attitude problem in many cases. In other cases it's a structural issue of homes or buildings. My questions concerns placement of the batteries. Would they be at the electrical provider or an individual's home or apartment. Power would have to be converted to DC for battery storage and.converted back to AC for normal use. At least that's how I understand it.

[@shawncirignano4876]

Sodium batteries 🔋 is going to put lithium batteries to shame.

[@Pernection]

Only in cost and cold weather

[@epictangent]

Sure 😂 sodium is just a racket to undermine the functional battery tech

[@alfredoramirez-uw5ub]

Sounds like they gonna need tools for the brine wells. Hit me up

[@r4raced4doom2]

That dealership dudes blue velvet suit should be a war crime.

[@mclau1524]

Stellantis only has the Jeep brand keeping them alive, and people are quickly realizing how overpriced and non-reliable they are

[@trebombs4life]

ya stellantis is a sellout stacked on top of a sellout. nobody wants their globalist crap(jeep liberty built on fiat garbage) except the wrangler and the ram. they are featured cause they are being positioned to be Globalist Automotive in the brave new world is my guess

[@normanbraslow7902]

The electricity still must be generated.

[@marzsit9833]

solar

[@myphonyaccount]

Renewables plus storage are cheaper than fossil and nuclear.

[@CarbageMan]

…and distributed.

[@CarbageMan]

@@myphonyaccount liar.

[@marythompson4654]

The only lithium mine in NV has already leaked chemicals in waters

[@larryfine6865]

Love This🔋❤️

[@makerspace533]

Lithium will not be a problem, cobalt is the problem. There's twice as much cobalt as lithium in the batteries. The bright side is that none of these materials are used up in a battery. So at some point a near quiescent point will be reached where the recycled batteries will approach the number of new batteries. Thus the need for new materials will drop significantly.

[@gerryburde5663]

Cobalt isn't used at all in LFP batteries

[@makerspace533]

@@gerryburde5663 Right, my Tesla is 3.5 years old and has the old NMC battery.

[@coyote5851]

Well I know being middle class this won’t be affordable

[@MayorMcheese12]

You won’t be middle class any more soon buddy

[@Caniac76]

This is already out-of-date news. Most batteries for cars and energy storage will be made using sodium. Lithium will be used for smaller batteries and planes.

[@joedennehy386]

They better start doubling the power grid, and building hundreds of mw storage

[@EfficientRVer]

EVs themselves can become the storage, if grid tied. And if EVERY car were suddenly an EV, it would only increase power needs 30%. A smaller increase than when people started buying air conditioners. It will take a long time to replace every car with an EV.

[@aaranjackson2080]

I'd like to mention that i don't feel lithium is safe, sustainable or meant to be used alone/without combination of other elements.

[@tess5844]

As someone who ingests a form of lithium everyday I can assure it’s safe. As for if it’s sustainability, I think that depends on if the resource is over extracted or not.

[@WeAreLegion-]

What about the cobalt??

[@edricaldones9639]

There's always the Congo to exploit, it appears.

[@Denzilb55]

Cobalt is not strictly necessary. Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries, for instance, contain no cobalt.

[@Alexzw92]

LFP batteries don’t need cobalt

[@4literv6]

@@edricaldones9639 Canada and Indonesia would like a word. Plus lfp cells now make up over 40% of all ev sales globally and don't use cobalt or nickel in them. New lmfp chemistry is making lfp energy densities competitive with nmc cells. So expect lfp to explode even more as we climb the ev s curve adoption rate. 👍🏻😎

[@mikafiltenborg7572]

Big Oil use cobalt in gas refinery

[@pamallinder3287]

In Seattle I saw sooo many tesla over the weekend. I didn't know why

[@PeterJohn-hl3ox]

It all sounds very exciting

[@timower5850]

As long as it's not Tesla, MSM has no problem supporting EVs.

[@LafemmebearMusic]

Yes cus Elon is an awful human objectively. He’s literally the son of a man who got rich during the apartheid and now spouts racist sexist stereotypes against any group he deems beneath him and uses said blood money to buy and do anything he wants. I know you white dudes envy his ability to live with out caring about anyone 😅

[@FrappuccinoAlfredo]

Wow i love how it takes 6 years of driving EVs to achieve net neutral emissions :) surely i must be saving the environment giving money to car companies :)

[@CarbageMan]

Then pretty soon you have to shitcan the batteries.

[@SadhuBiochemist]

Good luck Imperial Valley!

[@DrDjones]

Vice did an Abandoned Cities on this Salton Sea recently (or rereleased)

[@SL4PSYM4XY]

Trading one limited resource for another, trading one form of pollution for another. I really don't understand it. Porsche developed an ingenious carbon neutral bio-fuel.

[@The1978johnny]

Sodium is the next stop not bio fuel. It’s all about efficiency. If you turn fuel in to energy 80% of the energy is heat and not an asset. The entire chain of electric vehicles from manufacturing to charging is 80% efficient.

[@ProXcaliber]

Besides producing basically zero emissions while using the vehicle, another reason EVs are becoming so popular is because they require MUCH lower operating costs. Plus, you also have to consider how efficiently a combustion engine uses the energy from said fuel. Combustion engines can only capture less than 40% of the energy from the process, meanwhile EVs can use the energy from the grid much more efficiently.

[@SL4PSYM4XY]

@@ProXcaliber look up the efficiency rates of the grid and get back to me.

[@SL4PSYM4XY]

@@The1978johnny that number can’t be correct. Almost 1/4 of the US power grid still comes from coal. There is no way your EV being charged on coal power is 80% efficient. That’s absurd.

[@ProXcaliber]

@@SL4PSYM4XY While it is true that the overall efficiency from primary energy to delivered work is about 33% for energy in the US, there are opportunities to make the electric grid more efficient. For example, by displacing coal-fired steam turbine generating plants with newer distributed technology, such as gas turbines or solar and wind power. Combined cycle gas turbines are capable of generating electricity at over 60% efficiency. Additionally, Combined Heat and Power systems (CHP) have the potential to increase efficiency to more than 80% by using almost all waste heat for other purposes. And that also isn’t considering the fact that it is overall better to run a central power location to power thousands/millions of cars than to have millions of cars driving around producing their own emissions. And even still the added benefit of the lower operating cost of an EV still out weighs combustion engine vehicles throughout ownership for anyone who buys them. Consumer reports noted that the average EV buyer saves anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 throughout ownership in maintenance when compared to combustion engine vehicles.

[@lottiegray8790]

I'm new to stock market /Crypto and would like to invest but I've got no idea on how to make good profits. Pls what's the best approach you'd recommend?

[@sophiakimberly8244]

Exactly, at the moment bitcoin is the best and profitable coin to buy and invest in..

[@rustycar9177]

I think this story is an investors' presentation. 2025 yeah right 😂

[@fluxcapacitor1621]

They need to tap that geothemo energy.

[@JBoy340a]

They are at the sites of the Imperial Valley Geothermal Project.

[@cory8837]

Good that EV news is finally making its way to old people news sources.

[@safety_sid]

Future Petroleum Engineers I hope you're listening carefully! Guess who's going to be designing these injection and production wells. And who's going to be planning the production campaign based on the reservoir indicators.

[@lisam4503]

There is movement towards moving oil drillers into becoming geo-thermal energy drillers! There is also an insane amount of uncapped and improperly capped oil wells in the U.S. Lots of work well into the future.

[@peterh5165]

@@lisam4503 They are called "orphan wells" Lisa M. Smaller oil companies have in the past just declared bankruptcy once an oil field is no longer economically viable and then walk away. These wells can also be a huge source of methane gas leaking into the atmosphere (note that methane is an even stronger greenhouse gas than CO2).

[@lisam4503]

@@peterh5165 I know that. I took a lot of environmental science courses.

[@betterthingshub]

Great opportunity for investors !

[@chrisrolandsoundbath]

This could have and should have happened decades ago, it’s always been possible. While the sudden shift should be applauded, the auto and fossil fuel giants which blocked this for decades should never be applauded.

[@yourlogicalnightmare1014]

No worries, Wokefornia environmentalist a wholes will tie this up in court for years without help from big oil or conventional car makers

[@southboundeightyone4958]

VERY trustworthy looking guys!!!

[@luistpuig]

The problem is the aging electric power grid which must be updated to handle the massive upcoming electric demand in the system...

[@g2gcio]

If solar panel are installed in homes; then aging electrical grid should not be a major concern😅

[@Matt-kt9nm]

You are correct. Last summer they asked people not to charge their electric cars.

[@Solitude47152]

What a epic disaster, being completely dependent on “the grid” is not a good idea. We will never be able to upgrade to meet this insane demand

[@peterh5165]

Gosh, really too bad that we can't do things like we did in the 1950s Luis T. Puig. I mean it's just a crying shame that the US can't invest in infrastructure like the US did in the past. I think it is funny that many people have seem to have forgotten about (or don't want to acknowledge) the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (aka National Interstate and Defense Highways Act)! I wonder how many people know that it was a Republican (wow, let that thought sink in!) President by the name of Dwight Eisenhower who signed that act back in 1956 (BTW, Eisenhower was also Supreme Allied Commander of the D-Day invasion in WW2). This highway act resulted in construction of 41,000 miles of the Interstate Highway System over ten years. Also part of this act: the construction of gas stations along these new highways, since without gas stations these new highways are kind of hard to use unless you want to drive miles from a highway to the nearest town in rural areas! I have read reports that Dwight Eisenhower was impressed by the German Autobahn when he was over there at the end of WW2, and he also took part in an exercise to move a bunch of Army equipment from one end of the US to the other using roads instead of just railroads back in the 1930s. That 1930s exercise left a lot to be desired because of the condition of many roads in the country at that time. And then there is president FDR's bringing electricity to rural areas during the Great Depression (Deja vu!). Or the Pacific Railway Act (1862) that built the transcontinental railroad. It is too bad that investment in a healthy future for our country is no longer possible.

[@aolvaar8792]

@@peterh5165 one in seven Americans eats for FREE. ~$2 Trillion/year on welfare

[@lexuannhi]

God bless America, land that I love.

[@m4rvinmartian]

*2:00** Hey! Once you get those cars built, I got a bridge to sell you!*

[@Me97202]

The term “green technology” is starting to sound a little like propaganda to me. _Producing_ these batteries is absolutely *horrible* for the environment.

[@mikafiltenborg7572]

Burning gas is horrible

[@CarbageMan]

It's PURE propaganda, sadly. A fraction of the damage would be done by plug-in hybrids, but that's not good enough for the religious left.

[@AA-eh7co]

Don't let these guys fool you, we will never be competitive due to our greedy CEOs. All the competitive margin$ go lined their pockets. Also, by the time all the Lithium in the sea dries up, we will have formulated another energy solution.

[@joeking433]

When was this originally aired? They need to make a not of that in the description.

[@jamesrebbechi5247]

Does seem a bit dated

[@marthaelenacorral3042]

The unemployment rate in the Yuma, AZ (Yuma Co.)/El Centro, CA (Imperial Co.) area has perennially been about 27% - not 17%. However, unemployment rate likely worst now due to the flood of illegal immigrants living in those areas. There is already a high incidence of asthma from polluted air in El Centro region from remaining manufacturing at the MEX-USA border (about 100 mi from Salt Lake). Everyone has invested heavily to mine the Lithium, but where is the data on the area's current air health, and what is known about the particles released into the air - at least known from other parts of the world where Lithium mining has been ongoing? Perhaps, the Salton Sea region will become another ghost town 2-3 decades from now, leaving behind the dead and those diseased from air/water/soil pollution. It's to be seen. Right now the excitement is $Ts.

[@pah1921il]

Fantastic piece of journalism, extremely informative, balanced and easy to understand how it impacts “me”.

[@andrewschliewe6392]

No it isn't balanced. I didn't see/hear anything about CA heavily taxing lithium production in the area. And everything in the segment is may or can or potential. And what about the emissions generated in the production.