What's in a Bike
Gas or Electric Cars?
China Coal
Solar Panels
The electric revolution
100
Why are bikes not made of hemp, dried banana peels or bamboo?
Bikes are entirely made of metals that involve multiple combinations to create a basic bike. Speciality metals such carbon fibre are especially energy intensive.
100

WHat are the top 5 elements in an electric Car? 

graphite, cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel

100
Which countries are the top users of coal?
China, USA, India
100
What makes people generally think solar panels are "Green"?
quiet, just collecting sun rays, no moving parts, no smoke coming out of a stack,
100

how many countries have agreed to being net zero by 2050? Is canada one of them?

131 countries as of July 2021 vs 21 in Q1 2020

200

Name 5 countries where most of the metals mined that make up your bike?

China, Canada, USA, Australia, South Africa, Germany, brazil, India

200

Where in the world are the Li-ion battery recycling plants located?

There is currently no main recycling infrastructure in the world that treats only automotive Li-ion batteries.

200
Why do China, USA and India use coal as one of there main sources of electricity?
abundant coal reserves, well proven technology to process the coal, a lack of other sources such as hydro electric, uranium, its a cheap source of power
200
what is the main ingredient and its melting temperature in the creation of solar panels?
The melting requires electricity to fire ovens to a temperature of about 1,650 degrees Celsius!
200

by 2040 how much of the car sales will be electric? 

2020 is 10% and 2040 is expected to be 65%

300
What countries produce the majority of the bikes in the world?
China, India, the European Union, Taiwan, and Japan - are responsible for 87% of global production.
300
Why is lithium currently not recycled?
Lithium is 100% recyclable, currently economics do not add up to recycle it. Recycled lithium is as much as five times the cost of raw lithium. Currently there is a lack of standardisation in battery chemistries which make it difficult for recyclers.
300
How many new coal plants are planned to be built in the world, China and India in the next few years?
1200 in the world in 59 countries, with India planning 455 new plants compared to 363 in China,
300
what country produces the most solar panels and why is their carbon foot print much larger than solar panels produced in other countries?
China, coal is the main source of electricity
300

what countries generate the most e waste? 

China, Japan, United States, India, Germany, Brazil, Russia, 

400
What metals are specifically used in e bikes (Electric bikes) that are currently not recycled?
Electric bikes generally use one of three types of batteries: lead acid batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, or lithium ion batteries. More modern electric bikes use either the NiMH or Lithium batteries. Some models of bikes let you pick between one or the other, while others require a very specific battery
400

WHat are the top elements in a gas powered car vs electric? 

no nickel in a gas powered car, but 39 kg in a electric car
22 kgs of copper in a gas powered car and 53 kgs in an electric. 

400
What are the main sources of electricity in Canada and who uses the most coal in Canada to create electricity?
Hydro, Nuclear, coal, natural gas,
400
Why and how much has the solar panel industry ran an energy deficit from the year 2000 until now?
Majority of the solar panels are made in China and the power required uses coal as its main source of electrical power. The Solar Panel industry (PV) ran an energy deficit from 2000 to now, consuming 75 percent more energy than it produced in the past five years.
400

Why is there a gap in the requirements to meet net zero by 2050?

current technologies, supply of minerals are not available to currently meet the requirement by governments to be net zero by 2050

500
If China alone produces 58 percent of the global market for bikes, would these bikes have a large carbon foot print (CO2) or small? explain your answer
Large, China uses mostly coal to power the equipment to build bikes
500

which engine is heavier, a gas powered engine or electric? 

A honda civic gas engine is about 184 kgs and a chevy bolt is about 76 kgs

500

Who keeps wanting to use coal to create power and why? 

The big thinkers want coal dead, but consumers want the lights to come on, when they flip the switch!

500
Who is the number one country using solar panels in the world and how long do you think it will take this country to not run an energy deficit?
Energy payback time can be reduced by installing PV panels in locations with high quality solar resources, like the desert Southwest in the United States and places like the Middle East or Canadian Prairies. Germany makes up about 40 percent of the installed market, but sunshine in Germany isn't that great compared to a desert.
500

Why is renewable technology absurdly metals intensive? 

Wind and solar energy between 7x and 37x more copper intensive than conventional electricity

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