Yes, we can.
No two ways about it, we will need a lot of batteries. This is not impossible, though, given current levels of manufacturing capacity. To replace our 250 million personal gasoline--powered vehicles with EVs in the next 20 years, we will need over a trillion batteries, or around 60 billion 18650 batteries every year (18650's are 18 mm in diameter, 65mm long --- slightly larger than your flashlight's AA-size). That is similar to the 90 billion bullets manufactured by the world today. If you need only one statistic to summarize what is wrong with humanity, it is that we only make about 19 billion LEGO bricks every year, yet we make 90 billion bullets --- enough to shoot everyone on earth 11 times a year! Imagine the world where we made 90 billion LEGO's, and cut our bullet consumption back to just a few billion. We need lots of batteries, but it is possible. We need batteries, not bullets.
Rewiring Australia is a non-profit, independent, non-partisan organisation dedicated to representing the people, households and communities in the energy system. We empirically demonstrate and communicate the cost savings, emissions reductions, and energy system benefits of electrification.
Rewiring Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live, meet and work and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.
