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Consider This from NPR

Interest In Electric Vehicles Is Growing, And So Is The Demand For Lithium

Consider This from NPR

NPR

Society & Culture, Daily News, News, News Commentary

4.26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 December 2022

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Biden this year includes incentives for buying an electric vehicle, ideally to persuade people to ditch cars that run on gasoline and switch to EVs.

And as interest in electric vehicles grows, so is the demand for lithium - a key component of electric vehicle batteries.

One way to get more lithium is to open new mines — which could pose various environmental concerns.

But as NPR's Camila Domonoske reports, new mines aren't the only option.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., which

0:06.0

is why there continues to be a push to get drivers to ditch cars that run on gasoline

0:10.8

and switch to electric vehicles.

0:21.7

And it's not just Chevy or Tesla.

0:23.6

In fact, sometimes it seems like everyone is jumping into the EV market.

0:28.1

Madeage and gentlemen, our takeover of General Motors is complete.

0:32.9

Dr. Abel, Wiener Possess GM's revolutionary, Altium EV platform.

0:37.7

Now we can reduce tailpipe emissions.

0:39.3

I'm sorry.

0:40.3

Am I no longer Dr. Evil?

0:42.5

I'm Dr. Good now.

0:44.1

I didn't get the meme at.

0:45.1

Climate change has argued me the number one threat to the world now.

0:48.5

The inflation reduction act signed into law by President Biden this year includes incentives

0:53.4

for buying an electric vehicle, but who or what EV models qualify is complicated.

1:00.3

There are income caps for buyers, the vehicles have to be assembled in America, and there

1:04.9

are rules about where the batteries and minerals used in the car come from as well.

1:09.6

But the big idea here is to eventually make electric cars more affordable for more Americans,

1:15.3

and also to encourage car companies to make more EVs in the U.S.

1:20.4

Meanwhile, interest is growing among consumers, especially younger ones.

1:25.2

Studies show that people under 40 are more likely to want to go electric.

1:29.6

So next, we want you to meet someone who is way younger than 40.

...

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