Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

The looming copper shortage does not just coming for EV's. ICE vehicles use a substantial amount of copper (and other metals). "Starters, generators, and alternators contain an average of 2.8, 2.6, and 1.5 pounds of copper, respectively. Alternators also contain 3 to 4 pounds of aluminum. Most of the remaining metal is iron. About one-half of the starters have a solenoid that contains 0.5 pounds of copper." [0]. So that's at least 4.3 lbs (1.95 kg) of copper per ICE vehicle, not including uses in electronics etc.

[0] https://www.911metallurgist.com/scrapped-starter-motors-alte...



Correct. The article mentions that EV use 2.5 times the amount of copper though. It also mentions how it's more than just what's in the car - that more copper infrastructure is required to power them. Lastly, it also mentions how using aluminium as a substitute just moves the goal posts, bc more bauxite need to be mined and smeltered.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: