The phrase carbon-neutral gets tossed around rather frequently, and itll be a far cleaner world if that happens.
Earlier this week, automaker Polestar announced its first partners in itsPolestar 0 Project.
And as consumers, we need to check that theyre keeping climate-based pacts with us.
Polestar
Polestar
Links in a Supply Chain
A vehicle isnt built in a vacuum.
This is actually why theres a shortage of cars right now.
Suppliers either cant build their individual parts or cant get them delivered to the automakers factories quick enough.
If you ever have a chance to tour an automobile factory, go for it.
The timing of getting everything to a worker as they attach it to a vehicle is impressive.
But it also creates an odd issue.
Automakers are promising carbon-neutral factories in the future.
VolkswagensZwickau factoryis a good example of a plant that no longer uses fossil fuel to keep the machines running.
But its just one part of a larger chain of facilities used to build a vehicle.
Power to the People
Batteries present their own special issues.
First, there are the materials needed to build all the batteries we need for an EV future.
Thats led to many of us learning that cobalt mining has beenrife with human rights abuses.
The battery recycling issue has been one of the more prevalent issues.
Redwood Materials recently announced abattery recycling program in Californiawith Volvo and Ford as its first partners.
Take the Salton Sea in Southern California, for example.
Its an ecological disaster.
Decades of agricultural runoff of pesticides and herbicides have decimated the land, water, and local economy.
All those chemicals have also introduced a host of health issues to those who live in the area.
We allowed this to happen, and everyone and everything involved has paid the price.
Underneath the Salton Sea is lithium.
It all sounds like a perfect solution to a problem we created, but we need to be careful.
The unintended consequences of the past should not be repeated.
The idea is to build a better, cleaner world for the future.
Not repeat the sins of the past.
On our end, we can ensure automakers keep their promises as an entire entity with our purchasing decisions.
Ask questions of the dealers.
Pay attention to automotive news or at least do some research ahead of a purchase.
Keep an eye on what a company is doing versus what it says in press releases.
