Letter to the editor: Facts about electric cars

What the politicians and car makers aren’t telling you:

The maximum distance most electric cars can travel between charges is around 260-300 miles. That’s if your car has permanent magnets made from neodymium oxide in the motor.

Guess who controls 90% of the supply of neodymium oxide? China. Mining this rare earth material is difficult and dirty, a pollutant to our environment. This shouldn’t settle well with environmentalists.

Without the rare earth oxide to make permanent magnets, electric cars won’t be able to travel that distance on one charge. The price of this oxide has more than doubled since last year. A military conflict between the U.S. and China would definitely limit the import of this oxide, or magnets would stop altogether.

The batteries are made of one or more of the folowing: lithium ion, phosphate, titanate, manganese oxide, nickel manganese cobalt oxide and graphite, among other materials. Lithium batteries are flammable. It’s been suggested that cars with some of these types of batteries not be parked in your garage.

The cost of EV replacement batteries is up to $5,000. Technicians must change the batteries, which weigh hundreds of pounds.

Neodymium magnets have 18 times more magnetic energy than standard magnets. The electric motors that contain these magnets are more powerful and efficient. As car manufacturers make more electric vehicles, the demand for these magnets will increase and drive up the cost of the vehicles. It’s called supply and demand.

John Lerch

Tarentum