We recently attended the Cenex-LCV event, where a programme of seminars looked at the “What Next?” questions for technology and market developments in the low carbon vehicle sector. 

While industry and policy makers generally look at how to drive an increase in electric vehicle (EV) sales as part of the push towards Net Zero, there is a concern in some quarters that the positive environmental gains of switching to an EV may be ignoring some key issues which need to be addressed from a holistic, whole life perspective.

What are some of the environmental impacts of EV?

Production

The emissions from mining and refining of metals associated with EV battery production have been mentioned by many. Global demand for lithium, also know as ‘white gold’ is predicted to rise over 40 times by 2040. The production of EV batteries is also fairly water intensive.

The extraction of the raw materials also takes place in countries where there is the risk of unregulated workers and unsafe working conditions.

Manufacturing

We heard how the production of anode and cathode active materials requires high, energy intensive temperatures and battery chemistry and production technology is also energy intensive although clearly the production of any petrol or diesel car also involves energy. 

End-of-Life

As the number of EVs continue to grow so do questions around the recycling of EV batteries. Currently, a low proportion of EV batteries are recycled. It is estimated that recycling rates of EV batteries in the US is around 5%, and the methods for recycling are similar to energy intensive mining techniques. Spent batteries do however contain valuable metals and other materials that can be recovered and recycled – potentially reducing the impact of the initial production phase.

What is being done?

There are ambitions to reduce the carbon footprint of battery production by up to 75% in the next 5-7 years but doing so will require adaptation throughout the whole supply chain.

There are many avenues to explore from a technical perspective, such as reducing emissions with technology, for example procuring metal from sustainable producers using electrified mining equipment, as well as seeking to produce batteries from recycled material rather than consistent use of virgin raw materials.

Regulation will also have a part to play. The EU sustainable battery strategy will introduce carbon footprint labelling by 2024 and mandate other sustainability requirements such as recycled content, performance, and durability, will put pressure on car manufacturers, suppliers and investors across the supply chain to reduce whole-life supply chain emissions. The UK is yet to announce any equivalent battery regulations, but the recent Call for Evidence on a UK battery strategy closed on 28 September – hopefully the outcome of this will be a clear, regulatory mandate towards whole-life sustainability. 

If you would like to discuss how we can support you in relation any EV projects, please contact Charlotte Robinson or Chris Lewis.