Electric Propulsion's Dirty Secret: Why Lithium Can't Fly (Or Float) Profitably

Summary

tldr: There's a lot of bullshit going on right now about Lithium propulsion boats and planes, don't trust the energy return on investment or viability of its profitability...it's fundamentally a net negative energy return on investment. Elon lies through his teeth and boldly in a room full of people. Physicists Get Too Much Street Cred and Access to Venture CapitalI've often opined that physicists are the ultimate fauxdustrialists. Readily able to lie at a moment's notice. Many refer to themselves as "polymaths." I think the physicist mindset has infected a large swath of venture capital with delusions about what's possible with lithium ion battery technology. Long Live EROI analysis, even if I'm off, I'm not off by a factor of 10-100. Physicists more than any other field of people I've encountered make claims about subjects far beyond their max competency because of the cockiness induced when they were able to complete mathematical proofs that allowed them to grok logic puzzles, digital signal processing, and physics as an entire subject with ease. They never faced the analog realities. Alas...I digress. The Framework For Energy Systems Analysis When analyzing energy systems we know that it's important to take into consideration the following: Minerals, metals, concrete, other materials, transportation, construction, operation, maintenance, safety, decommissioning, destruction, recycling, disposal, energy return on energy invested, energy payback period, financial payback period, and overall environmental effects.You'd have to also take into consideration the dynamics of the energy grid itself and how it varies by geography. You'd need to think through how generators: a. synchronize voltage b. phase with the grid c. deal with energy storageArmed with this frame work.... we know the following.... TL;DR:Lithium propulsion for aircraft and boats is fundamentally unprofitable across the entire U.S. grid. The numbers don't lie: 60× worse energy density than jet fuel, 3....