The transport sector is the one that generates the majority of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Electric cars are the cornerstone of the energy transition… but with reservations. Mauricio Saldivar Meteored Argentina 23/12/2024 11:00 6 min
Electric vehicles have become a cornerstone of the global energy transition, as they typically emit fewer greenhouse gases than internal combustion engine vehicles over their life cycle, even after accounting for the high amount of energy needed to manufacture their batteries.
However, research led by Princeton University has shown that refining critical minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries could create pollution hotspots near manufacturing centers.
A broader view
The study focused on India and China, the world’s largest and third-largest emitters of CO2 . The team of researchers found that national emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) could increase by up to 20 percent from current levels if their supply chains were entirely domestic.
The vast majority of SO2 emissions – which form secondary pollutants such as smog and cause acid rain – would come from the extraction and refining of nickel and cobalt, minerals essential for the batteries of today’s electric vehicles.
The manufacturing process of electric vehicle batteries, from obtaining minerals to recycling, is what generates the greatest emissions.
The paper, published in Environmental Science & Technology , highlights that the impacts of EVs do not end with vehicle tailpipe emissions or electricity , but must consider the entire supply chain, and suggests that countries need to think strategically about building clean supply chains as they develop decarbonization plans.
In the case of battery manufacturing , the team stressed the importance of developing and enforcing strict air pollution regulations to avoid unintended consequences of the transition to electric vehicles. They also suggested the development of alternative batteries to avoid the SO2 emissions resulting from current battery manufacturing.
The two Asian giants
Both China and India have good reasons to avoid SO2 emissions: the compound is a precursor to fine particulate matter and contributes to a range of cardiovascular and respiratory problems . Both countries already suffer from high levels of air pollution. In 2019 alone, nearly 1.4 million premature deaths in China and 1.7 million premature deaths in India were attributable to exposure to fine particulate matter.
Both countries are at different stages of EV development, with China leading the global market with over 60% of global sales , while India is still in the early stages of supply chain development.
Wei Peng, an adjunct professor of public and international affairs at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and one of the study’s authors, suggests that “ China needs to think about how to clean up an existing supply chain , while India has the opportunity to build a better supply chain from scratch.”
Thousands of electric cars from BYD, the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, are waiting to be shipped.
In India , the main focus would be on cleaning up pollution in the power sector by enforcing pollution control measures for thermal power plants, using mature technologies such as flue gas desulphurisation. In contrast, for China , which already has strict emissions controls for the power sector, the focus should be on mitigating SO2 emissions in the battery manufacturing process, one of the industry’s weak points.
Humanizing decarbonization approaches
While the analysis focused on China and India, the researchers argued that pollution from battery manufacturing will become an increasingly global challenge as EV adoption rates increase. Even if countries like China and India were to outsource battery manufacturing without strategies to mitigate SO2 emissions, they would simply be shifting the problem to another country .
In addition to their policy recommendation for proactive air pollution standards, which would likely happen at the national or subnational level, the researchers also examined how changing the battery chemistry of electric vehicles could prevent unwanted SO2 emissions on a more global scale.
The Tesla Model Y, produced in the United States by Elon Musk, has been the best-selling car globally in 2023: more than 1,220,000 units sold worldwide.
While most current EV batteries rely on cobalt and nickel, the rise of alternative chemistries using iron and phosphate (lithium iron phosphate or LFP batteries) could circumvent some of the concerns associated with mining and refining cobalt and nickel, and consequently mitigate the SO2 emissions resulting from their manufacture.
In any case, “these findings serve as a reminder to consider the human factor and environmental sustainability when designing decarbonization plans , since even the most promising technologies could have unintended and unintended consequences ,” Peng concludes.
News reference:
Electric vehicle transition could create unwanted air pollution hotspots in China and India. December 12, 2024. Colton Poore, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
