• JeffKerman1999@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    11 months ago

    Isn’t titanium expensive? I would guess they’d try something like silicon or graphite that is way much abundant

    • Endorkend@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      25
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      It’s expensive for metal parts because it’s a pita to fabricate.

      In batteries, it’ll be a miniscule amount used and instead of a chunk of titanium, a chemical mix that includes titanium.

      Otherwise, titanium, like aluminium, are rather common.

    • FleetingTit@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      11 months ago

      Metallic titanium is just really difficult to work with, apparently. It doesn’t like being machined, requires very large presses to be cold or hot formed, and eats drill bits for breakfast. Basically stainless on steroids.

      But titanium itself is one the most abundant minerals on earth.

    • Pirky@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      While it is relatively expensive compared to iron, we actually use 95% of all titanium mined for white paint since titanium dioxide is really white.

      So if we’re able to put almost all titanium production into white paint, I think we could take some of that capacity and put it towards batteries.