Cut the coal in electric vehicle supply chains

ELECTRIC vehicles (EVs) are a promising climate solution, with life-cycle emissions that can be 70 per cent lower than petrol and diesel-powered vehicles. But look under the hood of the EV supply chain and you’ll encounter a familiar climate villain: coal.

It is vital to ensure that coal does not smudge the sustainability of EVs – and indeed of other green technologies needed to fight climate change.

Coal has found its way into the EV supply chain via the extraction and processing of minerals – such as by fuelling the nickel industry in Indonesia. The silvery-white metal is needed to manufacture EV batteries. Indonesia is endowed with 21 million tonnes of nickel, accounting for almost a quarter of global reserves.