{"id":22498,"date":"2017-11-14T16:23:21","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T21:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/tesla-a-supercharged-response-to-global-climate-change\/"},"modified":"2017-11-14T16:23:21","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T21:23:21","slug":"tesla-a-supercharged-response-to-global-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/tesla-a-supercharged-response-to-global-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Tesla: A supercharged response to global climate change?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ironically, adverse impacts on climate change should be the primary concern of a company that most people consider \u201cgreen.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are myriad articles espousing electric vehicles in general, and Tesla in specific, as major contributors to a transition from internal combustion engines to electric and hybrid vehicles. Indeed, Tesla prepares to launch an electric semi-truck this week, despite the fact there remain significant and insufficiently answered questions with regards to our \u201celectric revolution.\u201d Even as governments around the world provide tax incentives to purchase electric vehicles, we appear to lack a complete understanding of the actual environmental cost of putting these vehicles on the road [1].<\/p>\n

We can understand at a high level that mining for things referred to as \u201crare earths\u201d is most likely a complicated and intensive process. Some of these elements, all necessary to the production of high capacity\/yield batteries, exist in percentages less than 1%, even in places where we are mining them [2]. For a metal with an occurrence of .2%, we must mine 500kg of earth for every 1kg of that metal, which is a lot of rock to break through, transport, and most likely chemically treat, to extract a small amount of a resource that is integral to the production of electric vehicles. Since there are many of these types of materials inside of a modern battery, we have so far failed to place an actual carbon emissions cost on the creation of an electric car battery. Not to mention the ecological cost of getting these rare earths to Tesla\u2019s giga-factory. In the accounting world, we utilize activity-based cost accounting to measure the full cost of conducting an activity, and it seems that it is equally necessary in this case to fully account for and understand the ecological impacts of producing the next generation of locomotion. Only after we understand these costs can we truly isolate those areas that warrant additional scrutiny and drive down ecological costs. At the very least, prior to transitioning to a world where electric vehicles become the norm, we should certainly ensure that they are a better alternative to current competition, and we can only do this with a full accounting of the externalities.<\/p>\n

Tesla\u2019s current modus operandi with regards to dealing with some of the negative externalities of electric vehicle production and utilization appears to be purchasing companies along the supply chain or with technology that would allow for reduced cost production [3]. With their purchase of SolarCity, Tesla transitioned to a company that has a relatively indirect form of vertical integration- it is easy to imagine a consumer recharging his\/her Model 3, using a Powerwall full of stored energy generated from SolarCity solar panels. Moreover, Tesla has attempted to purchase at least one company with a process designed to increase the yield of lithium in a given amount of earth [4]. Regardless of intent, supply-chain management versus reduced ecological impact, the company appears to be heading in the right direction with regards to the procurement of these resources; however, they are in a position to have a much larger and longer standing impact as they attempt to figure out what to do with used batteries.<\/p>\n

If Tesla really wants to be a global leader in carbon emissions reductions, as opposed simply being a method of \u201cgreen\u201d signaling beloved by so many, the company can devote resources over the next 3-5 years in an attempt to figure out how to reuse the rare earths and other high-ecological cost components of their spent car batteries, especially in situations where it may not be economically profitable. After all, as much as Tesla is currently disrupting the American auto industry, they are sure to disrupt the landfill and recycling industries in the very near future, especially if Mr. Musk\u2019s grand vision to sell some 400,000 Tesla Model 3s in 2018 comes to fruition [5]. At this time, there is certainly not a solution with regards to where exactly we are going to dispose of 400,000 expended batteries in the next 5 years when they reach the end of their usable capacity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is electrification really the answer to our climate change problems?<\/p>\n

We can buy a Powerwall from Tesla for less than $5000, but how much do they really cost?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

[1] Wade, L. (2016). Tesla\u2019s electric cars aren\u2019t as green as you might think.<\/em> [online]. Available at https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2016\/03\/teslas-electric-cars-might-not-green-think\/ [Accessed 12 November 2017].<\/p>\n

[2] Lambert, F (2016). Breakdown of raw materials in Tesla\u2019s batteries and possible\u00a0bottlenecks\u00a0<\/em>[online]. Available at https:\/\/electrek.co\/2016\/11\/01\/breakdown-raw-materials-tesla-batteries-possible-bottleneck\/ [Accessed 12 November 2017].<\/p>\n

[3] Benchmark Materials.com (2016). Elon Musk: Our lithium ion batteries should be called Nickel-Graphite <\/em>[online]. Available at http:\/\/benchmarkminerals.com\/elon-musk-our-lithium-ion-batteries-should-be-called-nickel-graphite\/ [Accessed 12 November 2017].<\/p>\n

[4] Roth, S (2016). Tesla offered $325 million for Salton Sea startup<\/em> [online]. Available at http:\/\/www.desertsun.com\/story\/tech\/science\/energy\/2016\/06\/08\/tesla-offered-325-million-salton-sea-startup\/84913572\/ {Accessed 12 November 2017].<\/p>\n

[5] Korosec, K (2017). Tesla Model 3 Production Is 84% Lower Than What Elon Musk Promised <\/em>[online]. Available at http:\/\/fortune.com\/2017\/10\/02\/tesla-model-3-production\/ [Accessed 12 November 2017].<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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