Is inflation here ?

Of course its "rare earth minerals " that's why I said used in EV batteries /wind turbine motors etc.

Its the means of producing those minerals that has a major effect on the environment and human life.

The latest news in the UK is the take up rate for EV vehicles is very low so banning the combustion engine in a short while is wishful thinking.

One major problem is the initial cost of those vehicles compared to a petrol ( gas ) engine in the UK it could be £10000 ( approx $17000 ) more for the equivalent basic model.


This is a digression from the point of the thread but I don't think EVs were ever the answer. I don't know why Hydrogen isn't being given more funding than it is, makes more sense on a number of levels, more useful for home heating, powering delivery and municipal vehicles, even heavy industry. Use surplus renewable energy to generate Hydrogen and use that. Scotland has huge potential resources for renewables.
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Also the People’s republic party has said in their last update is that they wish for china to move up the value chain, away from the manufacture segment. Moving up in tech level, including the high tech products will be next. Easiest way to shaft the foreign high tech is to remove all the manufactured parts they were happy to offload to China. No sourcing supply of raw ingredients, components and preferential to their own local products means a difficult time for tech, space and defence etc.
Same with the high tech research h and skills required.

China is attempting to jump from second position, leapfrogging the USA, into the economic spot.

NATO has only just woken up to the position that old boogie man of russia is nolonger public threat number one. It’s researched and even made recommendations to that fact over the last two years.