RE: A comic artist's views on electric cars.
I wish things were as rosey as you painted for electric vehicles.
However, the truth is that the environmental impact of a brand new Tesla is far more than a 1965 Cadillac which has been spewing smoke for half a century.
Further, with our poor (and heavy) batteries the electric vehicle is only as efficient as any other gas burning vehicle. We are just exchanging the burning of gasoline where and when the power is required to burning coal, oil, radiative materials beforehand.
Now, the electric motor is FAR SUPERIOR to a ICE engine in producing a controlled/controllable vehicle. All railroad companies have switched to Diesel/Electric. Yes, all of those trains are moved by electric motors. Because you can apply the correct amount of torque exactly when you need to. It is by far, a better car mover.
The biggest hidden gotcha with electric cars is their competition, gasoline, is a waste product from cracking oil. So, if we don't put into cars, it has to be burnt off.
And the one that politicians aren't telling you is that the push for electric cars is to control the people. Want to go to work? Well, if you failed to pay any of your taxes, your car doesn't go. The govern-cement knows when and where you plugged your car in. And they can veto your charging intent.
I don't think I paint e-vehicles rosy at all, and it is not true that the electric car is worse than the gas driven car. If you have clean electricity from for example windmills the e-car is cleaner. You are right about the batteries being completely inadequate, and we simply don't know if a better battery will emerge.
Truth be told I think rails is the best and most comfortable way of travelling, and with low friction and overhead power lines it does solve all of the above problems. That is the way I travel.
As for surveillance it is true that many electricity services are monitored - at least in England. I had a hard time, and as a result the poor heroes of my comic had a hard time finding ways to recharge their rebuilt veteran car without being tracked by the intelligence services. On the other hand - they are tracking credit cards and cellphones too so when you buy that gas you better use cash :)
I was speaking about the mining of lithium.
Has to be done in countries like Afghanistan because it is so toxic.
Just that makes it more polluting then gasoline ICE.
Now, something we should do is go back to working on gasoline turbines. They are way more efficient than ICEs, the problem was the gearing. turbines can't handle various RPMs and varying torque loads that is needed to directly drive wheels. But they can power a gen-set.
Further, we could use a Tesla Turbine, making it buildable by any guy in his garage with a lathe.
Couple that with new super-capacitors, and we will see real improvements in automotives.
However, we are about to see people changing from going to a job, to living in tight groups called families, and will pretty much just stop driving.
That and the single rail automated shipping train/containers that go to each community.
Lithium mining is a bitch for sure, and the bad conscience of all EV owners I have talked to. Chile and Congo is also suffering from it. Would be great if the beer cans could be made into batteries instead.
Maybe the future will be clans connected by trains, who knows.