Elon Musk Openly Advocates for Overthrowing the Government of Bolivia, The Country with the Largest Lithium Reserves in the World

theHRguy@lemmy.world to Technology@lemmy.world – 329 points –
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Apartheid tech bro saying exactly what an Apartheid tech bro would say.

tech has nothing to do with him being a piece of shit, he's not even a technical person it's just the hat he like to wear. Are all the other car OEM CEOs tech bros too?

tech has nothing to do with him being a piece of shit,

We don't call tech bros tech bros because they're technical. We call them tech bros because they are pieces of shit.

TV Tropes has the best description of them.

A Tech Bro is someone connected with the technology and business industry; cultivating an image of intelligence mixed with money, counterculture attitude and social savvy. Whether they are actually hip, business literate, anti-authority or even intelligent in any form depends on the individual. Their goal is to charm investors into funding their project, so some degree of false presentation is necessary. Typically they are young men in their twenties and early thirties, insisting on casual clothing, shaggy hair and Perma-Stubble. Some of them are keen on partying and getting up to wacky hijinx, and are easily distracted during business meetings. Their speech is a blend of Technobabble and corporate buzzwords designed to attract investors, self-promoting at every opportunity. They see themselves as leaders, even visionaries, and they want you to know it.

And Apartheid tech bro up there is their god.

edit: I have to mention that I have no idea where anyone gets the idea that tech bros are in any way "countercultural" or "anti-authoritarian" - I've never seen a tech bro that's anti-capitalist, which means they are as drenched in the politics of bootlicking as the rest. I guess the only difference is that they perceive themselves to be deserving of having their boots licked - despite the fact that they will happily lick the boots of Musk, Gates and the rest themselves.

Lets see a big industry leader influencing and directing state forces is called something . . It’s . . agh I was just thinking this the other day . . Oh well. It’s probably not relevant.

So Elon is backing the guy who chickened out while holding people hostage, sounds like someone he'd pick

The same county that just tried to have a coup?

Hey NSA/CIA/FBI you guys might want to check that one out...

The ultimate litmus test for knowing if a south American country is a democracy or not - does an English speaking lad want to overthrow its government? If that is the case, chances are high it is a democracy...

I dont think free speech is free when you are the richest man in the world. If you dont like the weight on your shoulders give away your wealth.

it's cool that he's not president

Of all ways to describe the Bolivian government, this is the one that paints it as the best government ever.

Is there any evidence of American rat-fuckery in the Bolivian coup attempt?

We won't know until the tell all book is written in ten years.

Oh boy I can't wait for some good old American imperialism where we destabilize other countries for raw material

  • this is a member only article so people are going to mention the (pay) wall
  • this is about a tweet from 2020
  • what does expressing overthrowing a country in 2020 have to do with c/technology?

this is about a tweet coup attempt from 2020 2024.

There was just another coup attempt recently. If you think that these coups are planned in a few weeks, that's not how it works.

what does expressing overthrowing a country in 2020 have to do with c/technology?

Elon and pals want to coup Bolivia to steal their lithium for use in "technology".

Do I really need to explain this stuff?

The latest coup attempt really sounds like a publicity stunt.

No one died or got injured.

They took over the old presidential palace, rather than the new one the president was actually at.

The general leading it said Morales told him to do it.

Not saying it couldn't be real, but if they definitely made a lot of the same choices they would have if they were faking it.

I couldn't read any further, so thanks for more context. I would really love it if we'd share more open articles here so there is the full context to digest and discuss

I advocate for investing him until there's enough dirt dug up to put him in jail for next twenty years.

The rich only get in trouble for screwing over other rich.

tRump just got 34 felonies. You don't get elon rich without breaking some laws.

After a lifetime of committing fraud and other crimes. He should have been prosecuted at least as far back as the 80's.

We need hydrogen powered vehicles just to spite this guy, if nothing else.

If you want to spite this guy, ride a bus.

Or a train. He realllly hates trains. If they're not in stupid-ass evacuated tubes and separated into pods, that is.

And a train can even be greener than his silly cars with direct electrification via 3rd rail or overhead catenary.

That's fair, but Musk has specifically complained about FCEVs before.

Yeah, but he’s right about that part. Hybrid cars are just BEVs with more steps that can’t be recharged at home. Maybe useful for planes and other specific applications. Dumb for cars.

You do not have to hand it to Elon Musk. If home charging is the big benefit of BEVs, then why do "fast" charging stations have to get built everywhere? Tesla et al are just enshittifying refueling!

What

Think about it. What are you supposed to do while you're stuck charging for however long it takes? Scroll ads? Go spend money at a nearby business, hoping that you can get in and out before you get dinged for occupying the charging station for too long? Apparently, some charging stations even take reservations like Dorsia. No thanks!

You do know that nearly all fuel cell vehicles also use lithium and a battery pack, as well the fuel cell it self uses a number of rare earth metals.

I don't know how the mineral ingredients of a fuel cell stack compare to a lithium battery, but assuming they're the same, a fuel cell vehicle has significantly less of them. For example, the fuel cell stack in the Toyota Mirai weighs about 19kg and is complemented with a battery that weighs 45kg (1, 2). In comparison, the Tesla Model 3 carries a battery weighing 480kg. Therefore, a BEV has about 6.5x as much stuff of questionable origin (and questionable disposal requirements) as a FCEV.

The FCEV is going to be fueled from fossil fuels for the foreseeable future

Today, about 95% of all hydrogen is produced from steam reforming of natural gas.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-fuel-basics#:~:text=Today%2C%20about%2095%25%20of%20all,steam%20reforming%20of%20natural%20gas.

EV battery packs however can be nearly fully recycled back into more batteries.

https://blog.ucsusa.org/jessica-dunn/how-are-ev-batteries-actually-recycled/

As the transportation sector electrifies, how can you be so sure that the GHG-free portion of the grid's electricity mix will stay the same or improve? Why wouldn't the fossil fuels that currently power our vehicle fleet follow the demand and shift to powering the grid? BEVs only make a small portion of the cars on the road, but there's evidence that this shift is already happening. So, while it might currently be the case that the hydrogen powering an FCEV was derived from natural gas, it's also certainly possible that your BEV is effectively running on coal. I'm not trying to knock BEVs here. Rather, I'm making the point that the problem you've raised is one of energy policy, not FCEVs. Relying on BEVs to mitigate our current energy policy, instead of correcting the policy, is just going to create new problems.

As for recycling battery packs, yes, I'm aware that it's a thing, but it's not pretty. The best course is to minimize the amount of battery that needs to be dealt with in the first place.

but there’s evidence that this shift is already happening.

Shift? Dude that article has been debunked already.

https://thebusinessjournal.com/blog-harris-ranch-sets-record-straight-on-diesel-powered-tesla-supercharger-allegations/

BEV is effectively running on coal.

Funny thing is that EVs are still cleaner than ICE even when powered by a Coal grid

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2020/03/30/yes-electric-cars-are-cleaner-even-when-the-power-comes-from-coal/

Shift? Dude that article has been debunked already.

https://thebusinessjournal.com/blog-harris-ranch-sets-record-straight-on-diesel-powered-tesla-supercharger-allegations/

A month after the Business Journal article, a Harris Ranch spokesperson confirmed that Tesla did set up diesel generators to power Superchargers for a time. So, it's a thing that happens. Regardless, the point is that the energy in the gasoline and diesel fuel that goes into most of the fleet will still have to come from somewhere and there are no policies to make sure it comes from GHG-free sources.

Funny thing is that EVs are still cleaner than ICE even when powered by a Coal grid

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2020/03/30/yes-electric-cars-are-cleaner-even-when-the-power-comes-from-coal/

If it's not a problem for BEVs to run on electricity derived from coal, then it shouldn't be a problem for FCEVs to run on hydrogen derived from natural gas. What I'm saying is that it doesn't really matter how the energy from coal or natural gas eventually gets consumed. It's a separate issue that we simply shouldn't be burning any of that stuff.

There is no clean, cheap, efficient source of hydrogen. You still need to transport it around burning more fuel to transport it all around.

There are already multiple ways to get clean electricity for BEVs and the supply chain is cleaner.. Plant, grid, car.

Also coal is already a TINY TINY % of US power production, https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/ , going to natural gas sourced hydrogen would be a step backward.

When source to consumption is considered BEV is the cleanest option so far.

There is no clean, cheap, efficient source of hydrogen. You still need to transport it around burning more fuel to transport it all around.

That's just not true. Electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen can be accomplished with electricity from any source and it even makes intermittent renewable sources feasible without massive, enviromentally unfriendly batteries or fossil fuel fired peaking plants. It is even possible to get hydrogen from natural gas by way of pyrolysis, which avoids CO2 emissions. Hydrogen can of course be safely and efficiently transported by pipeline, probably significantly more safely than overhead power transmission lines can "transport" electricity.

There are already multiple ways to get clean electricity for BEVs and the supply chain is cleaner… Plant, grid, sometimes a grid storage battery, battery, car.

Fixed it for you. All these batteries are going to be a problem. Meanwhile, hydrogen just requires pressure vessels and pipelines for storage and transport, which are much safer for the environment.

Also coal is already a TINY TINY % of US power production, https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/

As we have seen in Germany, the permanent reduction of coal fired electricity is not a sure thing. Regardless, the point is that whether you are driving a BEV or an FCEV, it will be running on an overall energy mix that is determined by separate national policies.

Electrolysis is at least 25% less as efficient than just storing the electricity in battery’s as it produces both oxygen and hydrogen and then you need to spend some more of the power compressing it…. Even before you get to transporting it. Otherwise we would just have electrolytes plants all over already.

The relative inefficiency is okay because it still produces hydrogen, which is better for transport applications than electricity in batteries. Plus, oxygen is a useful byproduct, which everyone seems to ignore.

As for the lack of hydrogen infrastructure, I think that has to do with it not getting as much support from the government. I couldn't find a specific comparison, but the Wikipedia lists many more US programs supporting plug-in electric vehicles than ones supporting fuel cell vehicles. Apparently, Obama's energy secretary, Steven Chu, was very anti-hydrogen and that's just how it went.

Likely has more to do with the cost of 1-2million per station vs 250,000 to 500,000 for a typical EV fast charging station

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Hydrogen is definitely interesting for the future but is currently used by the oil industry to stall the transition away from gas. On top of that, almost all hydrogen making its way to market is dirty.

We can think about hydrogen and the mountains of infrastructure it needs after the oil barons are all dead.

Hydrogen is definitely interesting for the future

Hardly, since Methanol does most things better.

I don't think transitioning to either predominantly BEVs or hydrogen powered vehicles really affects the energy mix since the electricity to charge BEVs also comes from natural gas. That said, the infrastructure to support fast charging for a predominantly BEV fleet isn't there either, especially for cargo trucks.

Most of the hydrogen on market is made with methane.

EVs use whatever source is being given, and most of these sources are converting to renewables.

Not comparable imo.

It's also worth noting that EVs can be charged at home. Fast charging isn't necessary for most and it's silly to pretend like hydrogen doesn't need its own distribution network. It's a lot more complicated to set up a hydrogen refilling station than a fast charging one and you can't fully fill your hydrogen over night by plugging it into your wall outlet.

Most of the hydrogen on market is made with methane.

EVs use whatever source is being given, and most of these sources are converting to renewables.

Not comparable imo.

As I explained in this reply, you can't count on the grid's energy mix improving or not getting worse as the vehicle fleet transitions to BEV. What you identify as a problem with FCEVs is really just bad energy policy that BEVs don't solve either.

I actually kind of agree with you that the ideal BEV requires barely any new infrastructure. It should have a small battery that can support a daily commute and errands with slow charging at home overnight or during the day at work. Yet somehow these "fast" charging stations, which aren't as fast or convenient as regular gas stations (and still run at least partially on fossil fuels anyway), have to get built everywhere. If we can't get rid of these stations then let them be hydrogen stations.

you can't count on the grid's energy mix improving or not getting worse as the vehicle fleet transitions to BEV.

That is a possibility but they have already corrupted hydrogen. Between the two, I will go with the one that can go either way. There's also the fact that EVs are being produced now while hydrogen car production is still a way off, so it's a stall tactic as well

Yet somehow these "fast" charging stations, which aren't as fast or convenient as regular gas stations (and still run at least partially on fossil fuels anyway), have to get built everywhere. If we can't get rid of these stations then let them be hydrogen stations.

They can also be set up anywhere and are much more convenient, I've seen quite a few in residential streets, companies can set them up in their parking lots, etc. You can't treat a compressed gas the same way, even if it's just the canisters. It willl require much more investment in our infrastructure and conversion isn't straight forward.

I think it's cool tech but in our situation and looking at our current needs, pushing for hydrogen right now is a pipe dream fueld by the oil industry.

This is mostly for the car industry though, the same doesn't necessarily hold for the industrial sector.

That is a possibility but they have already corrupted hydrogen. Between the two, I will go with the one that can go either way. There’s also the fact that EVs are being produced now while hydrogen car production is still a way off, so it’s a stall tactic as well

How is the battery industry not corrupted? How does hydrogen production not go "either way"? I'm aware that lots of subsidies have already gone to BEVs, but it's giving in to the sunk cost fallacy if that's the reason to abandon hydrogen.

They can also be set up anywhere and are much more convenient, I’ve seen quite a few in residential streets, companies can set them up in their parking lots, etc.

That's crazy to me. BEVs are so slow to refuel that we're going to need many more "fast" charging stations and they'll need to be put everywhere. A 20 minute charge time, or whatever it is, is not convenient. That's especially so if you need to park longer than that, effectively putting that charging station out of service for someone else. Maybe someone will figure out battery swapping, but then every swap station will need extra space to safely warehouse the batteries while they charge. A hydrogen station doesn't need to store hydrogen on site, but even if it does at least it's not a potential environmental contamination hazard. Pushing BEVs beyond the use case of slow overnight or workday charging is a mistake.

need hydrogen powered vehicles just to spite this guy

No need. Tesla is history. All the big carmakers can offer better electric models, either now or very soon.

Unfortunately, I think the other manufacturers are also following Tesla's model of oversized batteries and software gimmicks.

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