Your Letters
TAKE A LEAF FROM...
► First, to Russ Gladwish’s letter ‘Mining for EVs’ (CM, July 2020) – I’m so sorry you feel so resentful of owners of EVs to describe them as feeling smug on the back of child labour in connection with cobalt mining. However I’m glad you raised this issue as it prompted me to research it. You should research it too.
I was surprised to learn that cobalt is found in EV battery packs, however major EV battery producers are close to eliminating the need for this mineral. You may be surprised to learn that cobalt is also found in Ni-Mh and NiCad rechargeable cells, and I bet you have some of those in your home. Basically everything rechargeable requires cobalt. Maybe you feel smug owning your mobile phone with its Li Po battery pack?
Cobalt can also be found in the high-temperature resistant alloys of modern aero engines which means that it is an inescapable fact that cobalt touches all of our lives yet we are all guilty of being unaware of how important this mineral is to our modern way of life. The good news, however, is that there are organisations that now exist to fight for the interest of those involved in the mining process, so let’s not be hysterical and over react.
In response to Andrew Roland’s letter ‘You do the Maths’ (CM, July 2020) – as an EV owner myself (I bought a Nissan LEAF seven years ago) I too have been concerned about how our electricity generating and distribution network would cope with the long-term take-up of EVs. However, there is some information that I have learned during my EV ownership that I would like to share with you.
The first is that if you get an EV then seriously consider having solar cells installed on your home roof – if
