tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8628325.post1646951814968556401..comments2024-03-15T05:59:53.929-07:00Comments on Ambivalent Engineer: Bill Gates nails itAmbivalent Engineerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491915174390340818noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8628325.post-5421999681858772782012-02-02T01:07:42.072-08:002012-02-02T01:07:42.072-08:00Lithium can be extracted from seawater for about $...Lithium can be extracted from seawater for about $50/kg or $250/battery, but it's cheaper to use lithium from brine. Silicon nanowire anodes, graphene electrodes, lithium air chemistries, and dozens of other technologies will boost capacity by 10x current levels.<br /> <br />And if we drain the seas of lithium, magnesium-air batteries will store 500Wh+ per kg and use a dirt cheap and entirely unlimited feedstock.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8628325.post-48043170099073925802011-07-31T22:53:57.048-07:002011-07-31T22:53:57.048-07:00Anonymous is right. Lithium ion batteries are abo...Anonymous is right. Lithium ion batteries are about 5% lithium by weight. So a 16 Kwh battery weighs 100 kg, but contains 4-5 kg of lithium.<br /><br />Total Lithium reserves don't appear to be a problem. I stand corrected.Ambivalent Engineerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16491915174390340818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8628325.post-47991938278054468292010-05-23T03:49:35.186-07:002010-05-23T03:49:35.186-07:00This has the problem of the rate of CO2 emissions ...This has the problem of the rate of CO2 emissions vs the mass of CO2 in the atmosphere.<br /><br />You might get nice effects 50 years from now but if you produce a lot of CO2 while getting there, that's still pretty bad.<br /><br />It's not the rate we want to reduce, it's the amount.Gravitylosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06169853327061102628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8628325.post-12993885388621178532010-04-25T14:37:12.329-07:002010-04-25T14:37:12.329-07:00Interesting article, but I have a couple of questi...Interesting article, but I have a couple of questions about your lithium assumptions.<br /><br />The Chevy Volt will most likely use a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery. From what I can gather on the interwebz, that translates into roughly 2 kg of pure lithium (or 10 kg of lithium carbonate) per battery. <br /><br />That's 4 pounds of lithium per battery, rather than the 400 pound assumption you make.<br /><br />Based on the 35 million tonnes figure cited, lithium supplies should cover US (and worldwide) needs. Lithium supplies could cover the lithium battery needs of roughly 10-11 billion cars.<br /><br />I'd be interested to hear what you think. Maybe I've made a mistake somewhere. Thanks in advance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com