The Rush Hour Karting X day was not only tons of fun but also super informative! We learned all about lithium mining and the effects it has on both the enviornment and the car making industry. We also briefly discussed some of the unfair labor issues associated with lithium mining which opened my eyes up to the ins and outs of an industry I had previously known very little about. I had an awesome time both karting and learning and would love to do a similar x day again!
Category: Electric Vehicles – Alexander, Andrew, Declan, Ford, Joshua, Kennedy, Max, Michael, Nathan, Nishant, Ryan, William
Electric Cars and Carts
We had a great experience at rush hour karting and learning about electric vehicle history. One thing we discovered that I felt was quite intriguing is how electric vehicles can be entirely remotely controlled and monitored. Unlike traditional internal combustion engines, electric motors have very few moving parts. They run closer to a computer than a car. On the track, this was present in automatic pit lane speed limiters and slow zones near incidents, but in life, it provides many more functions. Electric vehicles are easier to remote control and this can make heavy machinery and transportation safer than it is today with more advanced connectivity.
Impacts of EV
Today we learned about electric cars, some of their myths, as well as their impact on the environment. Electric cars represent a huge capability leap in reducing carbon emissions, however some people still believe some common myths about electric cars. One of these myths is that they are worse for the environment as the amount of coal it takes to charge them release more CO2 than a gas powered car. This is in accurate, however does bring up an interesting point about electric cars. While they represents a huge leap forward and are currently helping reduce humanities carbon foot print they cannot do it alone. In order for electric cars to be completely green it would require humanities to convert from fossil fuel power plants to clean energy ones. This isn’t to understate how much electric cars are doing as they are taking gas burning cars off the road which do a lot more harm to the environment. Another myth is that they are worse for the environment due to their battery manufacturing, while it can take more carbon to create an EV this is made up over the vehicle life span as it does not directly release carbon into the air. All in all EV’s are better for the environment and have already had an effect on reducing the carbon footprint, however in order to continue reducing it the energy they use must also come from a clean source.
Electric Cars – William Corkey
Today our experiential learning is tailored to electric cars. In the morning, we talked a bit about lithium mining and how Australia refines 0.25% of the world’s oil while simultaneously producing 50% of the world’s lithium used for car batteries, which pollutes less than all the oil refining within Australia. In the afternoon, we went to Rush Hour Karting, where we drove electric cars and experienced the thrill of racing in a vastly quiet environment.
Rush Hour Go-Karting
For part of the day today, I went to Rush Hour Karting in Morrisville, NC. We raced the go-karts and I had a lot of fun. We talked a bit about lithium mining and its environmental effects. Many electric car companies use them to make cars, but there are harsh ecological effects because of this. We also discussed the advantages of gas vehicles compared to electric vehicles.
Go-Karting!!!
We had a productive X-Day investigating the benefits and disadvantages of electric vehicles, combined with discussing the ethics of lithium mining. Despite lithium mining not being prevalent in the United States, it carries devastating impacts on our environments
You know what else is devastating? Placing 11th after 3 accidents 😤
Electric Vehicles!
Today we spent part of the day discussing how electric vehicles compare to gas cars. As well, we went a little bit into the ethics of lithium mining. Lithium mining is not very widely discussed, but there are a lot of issues with it. Luckily, one of the biggest EV manufacturers, Tesla, has reduced its lithium use. We also discussed how electric vehicles still make gas emission, albeit less. If you are interested, please see this article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/02/17/climate/electric-vehicle-emissions-truck-suv.html
Overall, I believe we had a very productive and informative day surrounding electric vehicles.
Go Karting and Electric Vehicles
Today we spent part of our day driving electric go karts. We also spent some time discussing the advantages and disadvantages of electric cars compared to gas cars. We discussed the environmental benefits of electric vehicles but also the problems caused by unethical lithium mining.
Electric Go Karting
Students experience electric go karting, a twist on conventional gas go karts.
Cars of the Future?
What if folks had opted to develop and perfect electric cars back when they were invented (in the 1800s)?
This group will spend part of the day enjoying racing electric go-karts, and the other part of the day learning about the pros and cons of switching over to electric vehicles.
Image credit: https://rushhourkarting.com/about-indoor-karting-raleigh/