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If the number of EVs on the road today remained static for the next 20 years, recycling the metals in them might be able to make up the bulk of the demand. But
by onion2k 4y ago
If the number of EVs on the road today remained static for the next 20 years, recycling the metals in them might be able to make up the bulk of the demand. But EV sales are growing exponentially.
Why would car manufacturers be limited to copper from cars? For example, there's huge amounts of copper in telecoms infrastructure that's being replaced with fibre at the moment. The originating source of the metal is irrelevant. The only things that matter at purity, contaminants, and cost. If the copper is sufficiently high quality, doesn't contain anything that would stop it being used in a battery or a motor, and it's cheap enough, then it's all good.
- alar44 4y agoThe bulk of copper used in cars is for wiring everything up, not motors or batteries.
- phpisthebest 4y agoThat is true for ICE.. an Electric Motor uses a lot of copper
- ZeroGravitas 4y agoTesla has a patent on replacing lots of individual power and control wires with a single smarter wire carrying both for multiple components. They were talking about it for the model Y and it was suppossed to reduce 1.5km of wire down to 100m but I dont think it's hit production vehicles yet. They mostly talked about lighter weight and easier robot install, but should be cheaper and use less copper too if that actually becomes an issue.