(Credit: Michael Movchin/WikiCommons)
Given that transport accounts for around 40 per cent of global carbon emissions, world leaders and environmental technocrats tout electric vehicles as the ultimate climate solution. If net zero targets are to be met, most vehicles on the road will soon have to be emission-free.
Governments have accelerated the construction of electric vehicles (EV) charging infrastructure as car manufacturers around the world pledge to stop producing gasoline vehicles in the coming years.
The barriers to transitioning fully to electric vehicles go beyond building sufficient charging stations and include procuring rare earth minerals and securing supply chains.
Charging stations
Today, there are electric pickup trucks, sports cars, and even battery-powered dump trucks, making the transition from gas to electric cars easier for consumers. However, while electric vehicles are becoming more appealing, there is concern that the purchase of electric vehicles will outpace urban planners’ ability to install enough charging stations to keep up with demand.
In the US and the UK, the availability of charging stations is a major concern for people considering purchasing electric vehicles. The UK has 15,000 EV charging stations, 3,000 of which offer rapid charging.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dedicates $7.5 billion to developing EV charging infrastructure in the US, which currently has 46,000 public EV charging stations. Apartment dwellers cannot install EV chargers in their homes and must rely on public options.
The batteries
EV batteries require rare earth metals, such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt, to be mined and refined. Prices for these raw materials have been increasing with an uptick in demand. The price of lithium, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, has increased more than sevenfold since January 2021.
The nations with the largest deposits of lithium in the world are Chile, Argentina, Australia, China, and the United States.
Chile mines vast amounts of lithium, which is regarded as the “next oil,” but experts believe that extraction remains slow for the amount required for the clean energy transition, hampered by local grievances and environmental concerns. National governments and mining giants are signing deals to ensure mine access to secure the supply chain.
LG Energy Solutions and Hyundai Motor Group of South Korea agreed to build an EV battery plant in nickel-rich Indonesia, while POSCO invested in a $4 billion lithium mining operation in Argentina. The Democratic Republic of Congo has the world’s largest cobalt reserves, but political instability and worker exploitation make reliance on the nation for such a vital resource precarious. Australia also has significant cobalt reserves, but only mines a fraction of what is available.
The US only has one lithium mine in operation, despite boasting over 6 billion tonnes of reserves.
China is especially crucial to the EV battery supply chain because it houses nearly 80 per cent of the global EV battery manufacturing capacity. Geopolitical considerations could derail EV rollouts if the row over Taiwan triggers sanctions and China withholds access to minerals and refineries.
The Economist states, “Chinese companies refine nearly 70 per cent of the world’s lithium, 84 per cent of its nickel, and 85 per cent of its cobalt.” According to a researcher at the financial research firm Gavekal Group, almost 75 per cent of the battery mega-factories slated for operation by 2030 are in China.
If nations are to get serious about the worldwide transition to electric vehicles and make them people’s primary form of transport, the infrastructure will have to be more solid. This means stronger diplomatic cooperation with like-minded countries that boast mineral reserves and greater political cooperation on building charging stations that run on renewable energy so that emissions are not simply transferred from the tailpipe to the charger.
The recent Coronavirus pandemic tested supply chains, which have still not fully recovered. Russia’s war in Ukraine is splitting global leadership, and China has shown a willingness to cease cooperation with the US on climate objectives to make a point. Protectionism and the strengthening of alliances may cross over into the climate realm.
Despite climate predictions coming to fruition with record floods and heat waves, the time-sensitive construction of electric vehicle infrastructure remains politically fraught.
Sarah Sakeena Marshall,
American University School of Intl Service,
The Muslim News Environmental Columnist
