Electric cars: Invade Bolivia!

It is the season of electric cars.  You will hear a lot in the next two years about new electric cars coming out. We have cited a number of reasons why electric cars will not save the automobile.

Here's another reason.  NineShifter Paul Franklin of Portland, OR, is in touch with folks in the alternative fuel industry.  One of the big secrets, sorta secret anyway, is the fact that lithium supplies are at "peak" unless more discoveries are made.

So we have enough lithium for electric cars for ten years, then nothing.  AND the biggest location of those lithium supplies is Bolivia.  Here's a great story from the BBC on it. 

NineShift asks, so with the U.S. having or seeking a military presence in oil rich countries such as Saudia Arabia, and of course invading Iraq for its oil, will we invade Bolivia next? 

Comments

[Jeff]

Bolivia or bust!

There is less of a shortage of lithium and more of a shortage of other rare earth materials for EVs.

http://gas2.org/2009/09/10/the-world-has-enough-lithium-for-electric-cars-its-the-other-bits-were-short-on/

I think there's always going to be problems with any new technology. But aren't electric cars inherently better than cars powered by gasoline? Inherently better, pollution-wise? That is, if we get the electricity from cleaner sources, and we do more as a nation to trim our energy use through efficiency measures. I'd rather have trains that run on the sun, myself. I think transportation technology is improving and these shortages or near shortages are bumps in the road. We're on the way to using less polluting sources for transportation, and that's a good thing. Now all we need to do is get a handle on sprawl, bring back walkable neighborhoods and get the car companies to let us have more trains and public transit. :_)