I don't care what "accepted society" thinks. They are sheep.
It's well proven that a 40+year old classic has paid it's dues, and well down as far as comparing embodied energy, a life time of maintenance, repairs and fuel even before an EV and any of it's infrastructure has rolled off the line.
If you've ever had the chance to repair EV's, you will quickly notice how "throw away" all the repairs go when it comes to renewing parts. I can take a 50 year old part, literally pick it up out of the dirt where it's been sitting for 20 years, and rebuild it completely with a few machine tools and 'old stock' new parts that were made decades ago but never used. A new replacement EV part comes from a production plant, has been cast, machined and assembled from many raw materials .....again....
The older vehicles are also a lifestyle for many, as are the EV's. There is a case for both. In terms of the older vehicles, people get out by the many hundreds of thousands every weekend... they tinker...they cruise, go to cafe's, tourist destinations, accommodation, road trips, they spend money in regional destinations by the truck load. They spend $ on their own rides to keep them looking good and running well, as well as support the wider economies.
Older vehicles in cases are investments... like that Phase 3 GTHO falcon which was available new for $4k in 1971, $7k in 1980, and now a significant 6-7 digit investment. There are many other makes, even 20 years ago were $2-300 cars, worth many thousands today, and will keep climbing, moving forward.
I believe you are being quite short sighted, and these folks exist in numbers where state/federal elections are won and lost over it.
In terms of lithium, there's no denying the future. To plug your house & home solar into the EV which will have a 100kwhr+ battery. I will not buy one until I see solid state batteries, however, I have the rest of the infrastructure and like it.
I dunno, maybe I'll open an EV workshop as there's a killer markup in replacement battery sales, not to mention the usual smorgasbord of electrical, suspension, brake, body and drivetrain repairs they all will still need(as per modern ICE cars, which suck for vehicle owners who can't repair their own cars-I spend very little $ on cars, with a sizeable fleet). Then expand the rear of the shop for classics, so I can tinker with what I like working on, which also attract good margins if you know what you are doing- it's nearly all parts renewal with the new ones, and nearly all labour, skills and intel with the old ones.
I invest in LRS because it will make me money, as you all do. The deposit is good, the AISC will be outstanding(which is on track to being well proven, courtesy of the last lithium price crash), and we will go mining without the Australian sovereign hassles when it comes to high costs, red tape, green tape, and indigenous tape.
In terms of CO2, I am fairly self sufficient. My forestry(red gum and sugar gum) of which has enough co2 sequestration capability for a small neighborhood, home heating, fruit/nut plantations, vegie garden, animal meat, poultry, eggs, dairy all come from what I grow. Yes it's time consuming, but very satisfying and I don't need a gym as it keeps me active. I want MORE CO2, and even have one of my gas hot water units in the greenhouse, so the exhaust gets gobbled up by my tomatoes and cucumbers. They go NUTS! 1000-1200ppm co2 in the air is perfect, with some warmth and humidity. I have to turn the reverse cycle on in the chook shed when it gets cold, and run it off the batteries, so I can keep the chooks pumping out eggs at 24c.
The western governments are in the global warming scam for one reason, and that's to keep YOU poor, cold and hungry, so they can feed you scraps from their fully taxed and regulated supply chain, and you will thank them for it and pay more in taxes, and love being bent over for it. I'm already out of that trap and building more.
Warm weather grows more food, so please don't preach your USA links to me, as they are hardly credible in any way, nor anything from the climate council.
I want lithium as it's a tool to set us all free, and the investment here can help do it, and faster. Just don't blow all your cash on "keeping up with the jonses" with stupid sh*t. Silver is the other one, keep your eye out for it, as it's going to upset Wall Street soon.
Over and out.
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