What dangerous chemicals are used in the manufacture of electric bikes?

[andreone]

I am working on an article about electric bikes and their role in the future of our planet. Do you think chemicals are being used that could harm the planet in the future?

 

[flecc]

I am working on an article about electric bikes and their role in the future of our planet. Do you think chemicals are being used that could harm the planet in the future?

More substances than chemicals where long term harm is concerned, since chemicals break down over time.

For example plastics are used in the electrical components and batteries of e-bikes, and they are already causing increasing permanent harm as they break down into microplastics that are being incorporated into the food chain as they get smaller.

Scarcity is another issue, the lithium that is currently essential in e-vehicle batteries is a very scarce resource, so our rapidly expanding usage will deplete the planet of that important metal. Hopefully we will sufficiently develop alternatives over time to solve that problem, for example hydrogen fuel cells, working well on heavier e-vehicles but still not viable on e-bikes.
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