Links tagged “species”

Teslas use "wires that were insulated with soy rather than oil, which critics claim makes them more appealing to rodents." ... “Most auto manufacturers use the soybean vs. oil in their wire insulation for newer vehicles because it is less expensive and better for the environment,” Tesla service adviser Jose Solis wrote in an email to Williams that she shared with The Post. “The use of this material would not be considered a ‘defect’ in design or use … Considering there are too many factors outside of Tesla’s control we cannot cover this under a warranty or repair.” 

Automakers have been getting slammed for years with complaints of their allegedly rat-friendly soy-based wiring. And like Tesla, they have all refused to cover the damage, claiming that rats chewing on car innards is the result of nature and therefore not their problem....In addition to wiring damage, some Tesla owners had told him their brake cables were chewed by rodents “to the point of the car becoming unusable.”  

Other Tesla owners who have complained of rats include a user of the Tesla Motors Club forum who griped that his 5-month-old electric vehicle went “haywire” after a mouse chewed through the coolant hose, which may also be made from soy-based materials, although it’s unclear if this is the case for Tesla. “Apparently this is not uncommon, especially with electric cars,” the user lamented. 

Will the Green New Deal keep cicada cycles at 17-years?

Reuters: Temperatures affect when cicadas emerge and their underground growth. Scientists witnessed large numbers of 17-year cicadas surface years ahead of schedule in 2017, which entomologists suspect could be related to global warming. ... "The biggest questions are: Is climate change changing their life cycles? And then, how does it change them?" said Chris Simon, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Connecticut who has studied the insects for more than three decades.

... With a better understanding of how cicadas know when to emerge, scientists may be able solve whether and how climate change is having an impact, Simon said. Eventually, we could see 17-year cicadas "escape through time" and permanently change to a 13-year cycle.

CNN: "Electric vehicles can’t happen without lithium — and a lot of it. Lithium is a critical mineral in the batteries that power electric vehicles. The world will need to mine 42 times as much lithium as was mined in 2020 if we will meet the climate goals set by the Paris Agreement, according to the International Energy Agency. Existing mines and projects under construction will meet only half the demand for lithium in 2030, the agency said. The United States has only one active lithium mine today. The country will need 500,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2030, according to research by RK Equity, a New York firm that advises investors on lithium. The entire global lithium carbonate equivalent market last year was 325,000 metric tons, RK Equity partner Howard Klein told CNN Business."

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The US will have to produce almost twice the entire global production just to meet our own needs in less than a decade.