this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2025
22 points (89.3% liked)

Electric Vehicles

885 readers
239 users here now

Overview:

Electric Vehicles are a key part of our tomorrow and how we get there. If we can get all the fossil fuel vehicles off our roads, out of our seas and out of our skies, we'll have a much better environment. This community is where we discuss the various different vehicles and news stories regarding electric transportation.

Related communities:

founded 9 months ago
MODERATORS
sabreW4K3@slrpnk.net
sabreW4K3@lazysoci.al
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works
Sunshine@lemmy.ca
Moon@slrpnk.net
22
How a Chinese battery factory sparked a political meltdown in a small Michigan town. (restofworld.org)
submitted 1 week ago by schizoidman@lemm.ee to c/electricvehicles@slrpnk.net
4 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/26734441

  • The Gotion factory highlights the challenges Chinese companies face in the U.S., particularly during a climate of deep political polarization, nationalism, and growing suspicion toward China.
  • A grassroots “No Go” movement, fueled by fears of communism and environmental concerns, successfully stalled the project in Michigan, leading to the ouster of local officials who supported the factory.
  • The Gotion case shows the disconnect between national economic goals and local concerns, especially in communities wary of globalization and foreign investment.
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Anyone@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Rithmire said tightened party control over the Chinese society, state investments in strategic industries, and Beijing’s more aggressive foreign policy have all fueled a deep suspicion in the U.S. “There’s just this blurred boundary between firms and the state.”

This is a problem not only in the U.S. but anywhere. Just look at BYD's recent factory spat in Brazil, where authorities closed the plant because of slavery-like conditions. As a result, the Chinese state -not the private company BYD- installed surveillance mechanism to prevent further in BYD's Brazilian factory. We see similar things all across the world. This 'deep suspicion' has a reason. The Chinese government doesn't care about even the most basic workers' rights or any rights.

Addition: You may be interested in this post here on Lemmy: https://slrpnk.net/post/19370986

The article falls largely short of environmental aspects of this battery plant, more you can read here:

Project snapshot

  • 500+ acres (including wetlands) intake of 715,000 gallons of water per day (the amount of water Gotion proposes to take from the local aquifer is more than Nestle’s Ice Mountain)
  • output of 65,000 gallons of wastewater per day
  • materials Gotion has mentioned include lithium carbonate, coated spherical purified graphite, and cobalt
  • failed to comply with any CFIUS reviews
  • no environmental impact study (EIS) has been provided
  • minimal information re: worker health & safety
  • no formalized fire & hazard management plans