With both major auto and motorcycle manufacturers pushing hard to gain market share in the emerging electric future, sources of the raw materials needed to make advanced EV batteries are getting harder to come by. That’s especially true as manufacturers work to keep costs down– and those needs have led many companies to third world/emerging markets. As such, organizations like Amnesty International began to look into how companies’ policies are impacting those regions … and they didn’t like what they found. Amnesty International documented serious human rights violations linked to the extraction of the minerals used in lithium-ion batteries, particularly in the DRC. A 2016 investigation found children working in hand-dug cobalt mines. Children who were being exposed to health risks ranging from exposure to hazardous materials to physical trauma from mining accidents, and who were neither protected by their government or the companies that profited from … [Read more...] about Amnesty International: We Need Ethical EV Batteries
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Amnesty International calls on manufacturers to make ‘completely ethical’ batteries
Motoring by Press Association 22/03/2019, 12:44 pm Send us a story Sign up to our Daily newsletter Amnesty International is calling on leading EV manufacturers to produce ‘completely ethical’ batteries within five years after expressing concerns of their links to human rights abuse. In 2016, the organisation found in an investigation that children and adults in the Democratic Republic of Congo working in hand-dug cobalt mines — the resource of which is a major component in lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles — faced serious health risks and were not protected by the government or ‘respected’ by companies using the materials. Now, the firm wants ‘leading’ electric vehicle manufacturers to produce a battery that uses cobalt from ethical sources while also publishing data about their supply chains. Speaking at the Nordic Electric Vehicle Summit in Oslo, Norway, Kumi Naidoo, secretary general of Amnesty … [Read more...] about Amnesty International calls on manufacturers to make ‘completely ethical’ batteries
Amnesty International Claims EV Battery Production Involves Human Exploitation, Pollution
The automotive industry’s shift to electric vehicles looks unstoppable, as all major manufacturers are already investing huge sums into electrification technologies. However, while electric vehicles have zero emissions, the work that goes into building their most critical component, namely the battery pack, is anything but clean. Amnesty International sounds a warning over the environmental and human risks posed by the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries. At the Nordic Electric Vehicle (EV) Summit in Oslo, the NGO is challenging EV industry leaders to build the world’s first completely ethical battery within five years. “Electric vehicles are key to shifting the motor industry away from fossil fuels, but they are currently not as ethical as some retailers would like us to believe,” the organization says in a statement. Cobalt and lithium mines linked to human rights violations Amnesty International claims lithium-ion batteries “are linked to human … [Read more...] about Amnesty International Claims EV Battery Production Involves Human Exploitation, Pollution
The power couple behind Texas’ biggest energy deals
Published 5:00 am CDT, Monday, September 3, 2018 Attorneys Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Munoz of Latham & Watkins. Attorneys Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Munoz of Latham & Watkins. Photo: Gary Fountain / Contributor Attorneys Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Munoz of Latham & Watkins. Attorneys Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Munoz of Latham & Watkins. Photo: Gary Fountain / Contributor Attorneys Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Munoz of Latham & Watkins. Attorneys Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Munoz of Latham & Watkins. Photo: Gary Fountain / Contributor Attorneys Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Munoz of Latham & Watkins. Attorneys Robin Fredrickson and Jeff Munoz of Latham & Watkins. Photo: Gary Fountain / … [Read more...] about The power couple behind Texas’ biggest energy deals
The ‘Electric Revolution’ Can’t Happen Without Cobalt, and We’re Already Running Out
As we hurl ourselves into the the glistening, unknown future, we are continuously confronted with new obstacles. While we’re good at coming up with solutions to new problems, there are plenty of important questions left hanging in the air as technology pushes us onward. Why do we keep working longer hours as more things become automated? How to we ensure that sentient machines do not decide to kill us? Why are there still so many people that use the speaker function on their phones in public places? In the automotive realm, autonomous driving and battery technology are the golden geese of progress right now. While driving aids are becoming ever-more impressive, truly self-driving cars are a little further out than most manufacturers would like to admit. Meanwhile, electric automobiles are already here and tangible as hell. You could have one tomorrow if you wanted. The issues associated with autonomous vehicles are beyond complex. In addition to deciding how to develop the … [Read more...] about The ‘Electric Revolution’ Can’t Happen Without Cobalt, and We’re Already Running Out