Once you have mined the material to use in the battery it can (and will) be recycled into making new batteries (or other uses). It is essentially mine once. Na

Once you have mined the material to use in the battery it can (and will) be recycled into making new batteries (or other uses). It is essentially mine once. Natural gas is extracted and then burnt. Because it is consumed it requires continual extraction, i.e. endless mining. Furthermore, batteries are of course energy storage, while natural gas is generation. If you couple batteries with renewable energy generation (solar, wind, etc) you no longer require the use of an extractive fuel, nor do you incur combustion pollution costs. This has to be where we end up because it is the only sustainable way for us to operate. Better we get there sooner rather than later.