In our EV Mania we Miss Mining and Slight eBikes

In the face of rising gas prices, it was timely, of course, to see the piece on the front page today touting electric cars.

EV Mania: Subsidy for cars,
but not for bikes

But in our enthusiasm for them, we are not discussing enough the new costs they embody. Mining for battery metals, at the scale the fleet conversion requires, is going to be a real environmental problem.

Battery metals are bad
LA Times, July 2021

Here in Oregon there are prospects for an extensive lithium operation. You may have read about cobalt also. There are other metals, too.

Mining here in Oregon, February 2022

As others have pointed out, Oregon excludes eBikes in the EV subsidy program. But eBikes have smaller materials requirements, are less lethal, use less urban space, and in nearly every way merit way more support and attention. Plus, bikes are fun.

Rep. Grayber, happy on her new bike