Barber 1

Trey Barber

Professor Garcia

English 134

__ May 2023

Carbon emissions, a phrase that can define the twenty first century. Carbon Commented [EB1]: Great first sentence - strong and
definitely captures the reader’s a6en7on.

emissions have been public enemy number one for almost all the developed naGons around the

world for a while now. So, with these emissions being so strongly fought against, many

governments are instaGng new legislature to help prevent current and future emissions. For

example, the California state government passed a new rule that bans the sale of new gas cars

by the year 2035. This legislaGon is mainly built with lithium baLery electric cars in mind with

tax credits/rebates for buying EV cars and focused funding into lithium baLery technology. This Commented [EB2]: I feel like this sentence has a lot of
important info but is a bit hard to read and might be be6er
as two.
focus on lithium baLeries will create problems like the emissions produced when building the

baLeries, and the dangers posed by them in crashes. However, there are good alternaGves to

lithium that are more deserving of our Gme, such as hydrogen power trains for cars. Commented [EB3]: Thesis! includes claim, points you will
argue and significance. grad you made this two sentences, it
sounds really good.
There are many problems with lithium-based baLeries, but two key problems of lithium

baLeries are their tendencies to light on fire or explode inn the events of a collision, and how

they are barely “cleaner/greener” than most current gasoline-based combusGon engines. The

main and one of the most apparent problems with lithium is its high reacGvity. Being an alkaline
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metal, it is very unstable and is very quick to react with surrounding moisture in the air. It’s the

reason lithium and other alkaline metals are transported in oils to keep them from reacGng with

the air around them. So, lithium baLeries are sealed systems and are usually safe enough when

condiGons are perfect but can become very dangerous when punctured, bent, heated, or

overcharged, (Vendra, pp. 153), with the first three being very common in car crashes. When Commented [EB4]: good job ci7ng and using the source
Commented [EB5]: I think you do really well explaining
baLeries are damaged or disturbed in this way, they become very dangerous which is explained how chemically lithium is dangerous. It’s a complicated topic
but you break it down nicely.

in the peer reviewed paper Numerical and Experimental CharacterisaGon of High Energy

Density 21700 Lithium-Ion BaLery Fires: “Once the designed criGcal pressure for the LIB safety

vent is reached, the vent opens to release the generated gases. This is quickly followed by

thermal runaway (TR), ejecGng more gases generated from the abuse reacGons. The exact

composiGons of the vented gases vary with LIB chemistry but typically consist of carbon dioxide

(CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and some hydrocarbons. The flammable gases can

auto ignite or be ignited by the hot sparks ejected from the LIB [], resulGng in fire and even

explosion.” (Vendra, pp. 153-154). So, when a lithium baLery EV car gets into a collision there is

a chance for the car to burst into flame and spew dangerous fumes into the air around them.

But it doesn’t end there since the flames are mainly due to the reacGng lithium with moisture.

The flames are extremely hard to put out since they can reignite extremely easily, and most

Gmes is just lee to burn unGl there is no more fuel material.
Though there is an even deeper and less known problem that comes with lithium
baLeries. This problem is how they aren’t as “green” as many are led to believe. According to
Commented [EB6]: Overall this paragraph is really strong
with explaining your claim of why lithium ba6eries are
dangerous. The quote is long, but I think everything in it is
necessary.
Commented [EB7]: I would change this wording to make it
a stronger claim. maybe “addi7onally”

the peer reviewed paper Life-Cycle CO2-Equivalent Emissions of Cars Driven by ConvenGonal

and Electric Propulsion Systems: “The producGon of baLery-electric cars has about a 50–100%
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higher carbon footprint than those of cars driven by convenGonal powertrains, which is mainly

based on the baLery system.” (Hirz. Pp. 5). Therefore, it takes years before a gas car reaches the

net carbon emissions of a lithium baLery electric car.
Commented [EB8]: I really, really liked this essay. I think it’s
very applicable to almost all people and I like that you
emphasize the California 2035 legislature. You do a good job
explaining concepts that are confusing and your evidence
backs up your claims. I think you have good logos with your
well wri6en analysis. good ethos with your use of evidence
that is strong. The only thing is maybe more pathos but I
don’t think this essay needs it as much as others. Great start
to your essay.
Commented [EB9]: I like this quote, I think when you
explain more be sure to highlight the produc7on aspect of
the ba6ery car because at first I missed that detail and
things did not make sense.

Vendra, Chandra M. R., et al. “Numerical and Experimental CharacterisaGon of High Energy

Density 21700 Lithium-Ion BaLery Fires.” Process Safety and Environmental Protec4on, vol. 160,

2022, pp. 153–65, hLps://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2022.02.014

Hirz, Mario, and Thu Trang Nguyen. “Life-Cycle CO2-Equivalent Emissions of Cars Driven by

ConvenGonal and Electric Propulsion Systems.” World Electric Vehicle Journal, vol. 13, no. 4,

2022, p. 1–21, hLps://doi.org/10.3390/wevj13040061