Are Electric Car Batteries Bad for the Environment?
As electric cars become increasingly common on our roads, concerns have been raised about how we mine and process materials for the batteries that power them, and the environmental impact of producing those batteries.
While electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) have become a catch-all solution for saving the planet from climate change, buyers want to know that they truly are helping to stem the tide of climate change and reduce the degradation of the environment – in addition to the financial benefits of reducing their fuel costs. But there are definitely environmental downsides to the lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars.
Electric Car Battery Problems
The International Energy Agency (IEA) tells us that an electric vehicle requires six times the mineral inputs of a gasoline-powered vehicle. EV lithium-ion batteries are made with materials that are expensive, and in some cases, toxic and flammable. Primary materials include lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper. The mining of these rare materials, their manufacturing processes, and their eventual disposal pose real environmental challenges.
While 90 percent of average gasoline-powered vehicle batteries are recycled, at the moment, a much lower percentage of EV lithium-ion batteries are recycled, though that number is rising rapidly. And while oil is exclusively mined underground in specific areas, the components for lithium-ion batteries are often obtained through open pit mining that damages large areas of the natural environment. Let’s look at how these materials are collected.
Nickel is a major component of EV batteries and is found, among other places, in the rainforests of Indonesia. It resides just below the topsoil and is extracted using a method of horizontal surface mining. Harmful effects include removal of topsoil, extreme environmental degradation, and deforestation. We’re not really saving the planet with this process. Since the rainforests are the lungs of our planet, this is harming the process of removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Lithium mining is also an issue. Over half of the world’s lithium is found in Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, also known as the “Lithium Triangle.” The Institute for Energy Research tells us that lithium is found in salt flats in arid areas, and the material has to be mined from under these salt flats. Lithium extraction can take 18 months through an evaporation process that uses enormous amounts of water. Each ton of refined lithium uses up to half a million gallons of water. The results deplete the water table and cause soil contamination.
Cobalt is another major component in some EV batteries – though newer-generation batteries using LFP (lithium-iron phosphate) technology have eliminated it. Up to 70 percent of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While cobalt mining has a similar process as lithium mining. Cobalt is a toxic metal and prolonged exposure and inhalation of cobalt dust can lead to health issues related to the skin, eyes, and lungs.
Cobalt mining in the Congo involves workers of all ages. Of the 255,000 current workers, over 40,000 are children and some are as young as six-years-old. According to Amnesty International, “thousands of children mine cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite the potentially fatal health effects of prolonged exposure, adult and child miners work without even the most basic protective equipment.” The majority of these mines are owned by Chinese companies.
Copper is also used in EV batteries and most of it comes from open-pit strip mines in Chile. This sort of mining negatively impacts topsoil, vegetation, wildlife habitats, and groundwater.
Environmental Impact of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Cars
According to IHS Markit, in the year 2000, nine percent of lithium produced worldwide was used for EV batteries. By 2020, this share rose to 66 percent – and will reach over 90 percent by 2030. An electric vehicle such as a Tesla Model S contains 63 kg of lithium.
As mentioned earlier, lithium mining uses a lot of water. Mining companies in Chile’s Salar de Atacama, one of the driest places on Earth, uses 65 percent of the region’s water. Plus, the process of lithium mining also uses toxic chemicals which can contaminate streams, crops, and wildlife – adding to the decline of endangered species.
Lithium mining also creates what researchers call “the colonial shadow of electromobility.” This is the impact that lithium mining has on the environment and inhabitants in Latin America. The assertion indicates that lithium mining replicates the historical inequities between the Northern and Southern hemispheres in regard to impacting indigenous Andean territories.
Electric Car Battery Mining: What Can Be Done?
Efforts are underway by a number of companies to create “green lithium mining,” which uses naturally-occurring, renewable geothermal energy to power lithium extraction. Australian startup Vulcan and Cornish Lithium of the United Kingdom use geothermal waters to produce zero-carbon electricity as well as heat to power lithium extraction.
As the push for an all-EV future drives the production of batteries out of sight, the challenge also is to make the extraction of battery ingredients sustainable. We must also create ways to reuse and recycle old battery packs in ways that will not negatively impact the planet.
How EV Charging Will Evolve
Adoption of EVs is increasing all around the world, but in order to accelerate their adoption and reduce the impact that transportation has on the environment, charging infrastructure needs to improve rapidly. Many consumers who reject EVs cite a lack of charging availability as one of their primary reasons for sticking to gasoline.
Eric Hannon, partner in McKinsey's Center for Future Mobility and co-author of Mobility's Net-Zero Transition: A Look at Opportunities and Risks tells us, “How we get there is not written in stone. Frankly, we're moving too slow. We aren't on a trajectory that gets us there yet.”
Hannon explains that in Europe, over 10,000 chargers per week would need to be added in order for the region’s 2030 climate targets to be achieved. If carbon emissions don’t start declining by 2025, then according to his research, EVs’ impact on climate change won’t be enough to keep the temperature rise to under 1.5 degrees this century.
Hannon has concluded that while a lot of people recognize the problem of climate change and are prepared to go electric, “If we wait 10 years or 15 years to start thinking about this and start acting in earnest, it’s too late.”
Fortunately, major efforts are underway worldwide to improve charging infrastructure. In the U.S., for example, seven automakers have banded together to form Ionna, a new charging provider that has committed to opening 30,000 charging stations by the end of 2030 – and all of its energy will be sourced from renewables. Many manufacturers and independent startups are also rapidly accelerating their commitments to charging infrastructure.
Many environmental challenges remain in the transition to electric driving, and the road to a zero-emissions future has many twists and turns. But rapid innovation across all sectors is helping to get us there – step by step.
