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Ford to add 10,800 jobs making electric vehicles, batteries

12 Comments
By TOM KRISHER and BRUCE SCHREINER

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The vast majority of Kentucky's power is generated by coal fired power plants. Kentucky is the fifth largest coal producing state in the US. The vast majority of Tennessee's power generation is owned by the TVA, the Tennessee Valley Authority, part of the US Dept. of Interior. Nearly half the power in the state, 47%, comes from two TVA owned nuclear reactors. About 18% comes from coal fired plants and about 20% from natural gas fired plants. The balance comes from hydropower from the TVAs several big dams.

There is more to a state's utility rates than what party has the majority in the state legislature.

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The power costs in Tennessee and Kentucky are lower in large part because Republicans run those states.

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A big win for electric vehicles? Perhaps, in the long run, though then there's the question of "where do you get all that electricity from again?" (Not from "Green Tech"...at least, not for the next generation at least!)

But the Real Big Winner here is: North America, and particularly, the United States.

Thanks to You Know Who's successful revising of NAFTA into the USMCA, companies like Ford will now see increased benefits to relocating some if not all of their production inside of North America, or else face enhanced financial disincentives for the importing of autos parts, electric or no, from outside the NAFTA area into the US. (To say nothing of all the added government subsidies and tax credits for this "electric" push.)

For example, under the new rules:

"To qualify for zero tariffs, a car or truck must have 75% of its components manufactured in the U.S., Mexico, or Canada, a boost from the current 62.5% requirement. In addition, also starting in 2020, cars and trucks should have at least 30% of the work on the vehicle done by workers earning at least $16 an hour, which will gradually move to 40% for cars by 2023."

And this is just autos. We'll soon see a similar shift in manufacturing chains from being presently outside the NAFTA Zone to returning back into it. It's happening right now...if anything, the COVID-fed global supply chain disruptions only helped demonstrate to the really stubborn that fully-external sourcing of manufacturing outside the home market isn't quite as lucrative as had been previously advertised...

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The commercial electricity rate in Tennessee is 10.31 cents per kilowatt hour. The average US commercial power rate is 10.09 cents per Kilowatt hour, placing Tennessee number 17 for its commercial electricity rate. The commercial rate in Kentucky is 8.73 cents per kilowatt hour, placing it at number 33 in the US.

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@DT... and that process will use 500,000 gallons of water to produce I ton of lithium (water that California will need to put out fires and don't forget not to bathe everyday or water your lawn), and that water used to create the brine too extract the lithium, is now contaminating too both soil and air. And unless Californian's plan to use oranges in the family Muskmobile...

The water is re-used multiple times, basically until it evaporates at some point in the process. The amount of new water added to the process is much much less.

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All major companies has employed over 10000 workers in Japan a decade ago for electric vehicles department. But Ford is too late to do it. ( That is Japan today)

How many 10000s are going to lose the job from other departments in the coming years? No one wants to write it as it may harm the current white house Biden administration's face. ( Japan Today)

Making America a dependent of China. As China control the "rare earths" of the world............

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Making America a dependent of China. As China control the "rare earths" of the world......

The US and Australia have no shortage of rare earth metals. There were mines in the desert southwest of the US but they were undercut on price by low wage Chinese mines. These materials sell at global prices and the mines in the US could not compete at a wage that would attract workers to the desolate locations and uncomfortable work associated with these mining sites while making a profit. If global prices rise then a lot more mines become competitive and this is happening now. One of the formerly closed mines in California, Mountain Pass Mine, has re-opened.

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Lithium mining creates more environmental harm, disrupting, dislocating more innocent civilians, than any other power source. Enjoy your profits!

There is a process being developed in California to extract lithium from geothermal brines used in geothermal power plants such as those proximate to the Salton Sea.

https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/79178.pdf

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By lithium stock its the new oil!!!

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I can’t wait to admire those new EV, when their batteries are made with expertise from former potato farmers and the cars assembled by those who formerly had a dream, whatever dream that might be, probably getting the IQ similar to that of their bananas. lol

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