The truth about EV fires, battery recycling, AI + IoT, and climate litigation

Author

Tom Raftery
April 25, 2024

Hi everyone, welcome to another edition of my semi-occasional newsletter - I was aiming to end this out every second Thursday, but last week there was the Feria de Abril here in Seville, and unfortunately, that took precedence and much fun was had! In this newsletter I highlight stories at the intersection of tech and sustainability, but first a little humour - remember never to confuse correlation and causation! 😀

In the News: Technology Meets Sustainability

Some of the news stories that have caught my eye recently

  •  Tusker fleet data reveals the truth about EV fires - There is a lot of misinformation out there about electric vehicles (EVs) - created, and amplified by those with the most to lose by a transition to sustainable transportation. One of the myths is that EVs are prone to catch fire. However, when you examine the data, EVs suffer 25 fires per 100,000 sold, petrol or diesel vehicles were found to experience 1,530 fires per 100,000, with hybrid vehicles at a notably higher risk of 3,475 fires per 100,000​​​​. Link


  • Plastics industry heats world 4 times as much as air travel, report finds - a new paper from scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that the plastics industry releases about four times as many planet-warming chemicals as the airline industry, or the equivalent of 600 coal fired power plants. I discussed the plastics industry with Aidan Charron, DIrector of the End Plastics Initiatives for EarthDay.org on a recent episode of the Climate Confident podcast. Plastic really is a vile addiction that we need to kick asap. Link


  • Voyager-1 sends readable data again from deep space - Voyager-1 the spacecraft launched by NASA back in 1977 to check out the outer planets in our solar system, and then kept going malfunctioned last November. Scientists at NASA fixed the issue remotely despite the probe being 24 billion km away! An incredible achievement. Link


  • First of 2,600 battery units arrive for installation at Australia’s biggest grid “shock absorber” - a few years back Tesla installed the largest grid connected battery in the world in a site in Australia. It was called the Tesla Big Battery, and it was 100MWh in size. Fast forward a few years, significant tech improvements, and several battery installations later and now developers are creating a battery called the Waratah Super Battery which will be 1,680 kWh, and the 2,000 kWh Collie battery is just starting construction. These batteries are grid connected, and play a big part in smoothing out the intermittency of renewable energy generation. Link

  • Seven countries now generate 100% of their electricity from renewable energy - Seven countries now generate nearly all of their electricity from renewable energy sources, according to newly compiled figures. Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced more than 99.7 per cent of the electricity they consumed using geothermal, hydro, solar or wind power.
    Even better again - Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) also revealed that a further 40 countries generated at least 50 per cent of the electricity they consumed from renewable energy technologies in 2021 and 2022 – including 11 European countries! Link


  • The legal battles changing the course of climate change - A great synopsis of how climate litigation is becoming an increasingly important weapon in the fight against climate change. There have been several big wins in the last number of years, but probably none bigger than the case earlier this month when a group of Swiss women won a case against the Swiss government arguing that the government’s inaction on climate impinged on their human rights in the European Court of Human Rights. It is the first time the court has ruled on climate change, and this ruling by this powerful court sets a huge precedent. Link

  • Battery Recycling Shatters the Myth of Electric-Vehicle Waste - You’ve no doubt witnessed all the pearl clutching by folks concerned about all the minerals that will need to be mined for EVs. What they’re conveniently ignoring is all the mining currently done for fossil fuel extraction which is 535x the amount required for the energy transition. Also, fossil fuels are single use. They can’t be recycled (try burning petrol twice!). However, EV batteries are far too valuable to go to landfill, and so they are now being recycled, and this, of course reduces even further the environmental footprint of EVs. Link

These are just a small selection of the fascinating stories I have come across in the recent weeks. I post most of the stories I come across on Threads (I’m using Twitter less and less), so if you want to see more stories like this, follow me there (if you’re not already).

Blog posts

Some of my latest writings on my blog

  • Unlocking the Power of AI: Driving Sustainability in Modern Supply Chains - In today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, the role of supply chains is more critical than ever. However, as these networks become increasingly complex, their environmental impact grows, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable practices. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is stepping into this arena as a transformative force, with the potential to not only streamline operations but also enhance sustainability.

  • Revolutionising Manufacturing: AI + IoT = The Sustainable Factory of Tomorrow - Modern manufacturing is evolving at an extremely rapid pace, and the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) is accelerating that shift. It is not just a trend—it’s a transformative movement.

Podcast Highlights

Recent episodes

In coming episodes of the podcasts I will be talking to companies like ProducePay, aiOla, Ansell and more. Follow the podcasts in your podcast app of choice to ensure you don’t miss any episodes.

  • Lithium ion batteries are (and I hate to use the term when talking about batteries) exploding in popularity!


  • If you have seen news saying that EV sales are slowing down, no they’re not. Check out the year on year pattern in this chart from the International Energy Agency. The pattern repeats every year, and there is year on year growth.


  • Does reducing emissions mean shrinking our economies? Not at all. Check out this chart of countries that have successfully decoupled economic growth from CO2 emissions. And may I just say, well done Ireland on achieving a 43% increase in incomes, while reducing CO2 emissions 50% per person!


  • And finally, shifting the world to renewable energy, and electrifying everything will mean, perhaps counterintuitively, we will require far less overall energy

This Edition’s Thought-Provoking Quote

  • "We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we are the last generation that can do something about it.” - Jay Inslee

Engage

  • If you made it this far, well done! If you liked this newsletter, or learned something new, feel free to share this newsletter with family and friends. Encourage folks to sign up for it.

    Do please get in touch with me with your thoughts and suggestions on how I can improve the newsletter, or with any other suggestions you may have.

  • Finally, since being impacted by the tech layoffs, I'm currently on the market for a new role. If you know someone who could benefit from my tech savvy, sustainability, and strong social media expertise, I'd be grateful for a referral.

Remember, the only thing more sustainable than renewable energy is my hope that next month's technology won't make today's gadgets look like they belong in a museum. Until then, keep charging forward—preferably with solar power!

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