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Where do car manufacturers get cobalt for electric cars?
I was reading an article the other day about the dark side of EVs, and how cobalt is mined under horrible conditions and practices. There is no way I want to buy a car knowing about this. Where do car manufacturers get cobalt for their electric cars now?
Marlee John · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
The majority of cobalt used by EV manufacturers is from the mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Due to unethical practices, many manufacturers are looking to eliminate the use of cobalt altogether.
While the good face of EVs has been the promise of lower fuel costs and lower emissions, the ugly side is the unethical practices in the minefields. The majority of the cobalt in EV batteries comes from mines where many of the workers are ill-equipped and mining for the toxic metal with their hands.
Some of the workers are pregnant women and even children as young as six years old. The toxic waste from the production facilities leeches into the soil and water of nearby regions causing sickness and disease in residents. Many EVs batteries still use cobalt, but some companies like Tesla have worked on transitioning to a new type of cobalt-free batteries.
Any technological advancement to save the planet that relies on child labor and slave labor is not an advancement at all. Fortunately, there are other ways to create EV batteries.
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