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Cut the coal in electric vehicle supply chains

The pollutive fossil fuel is powering the extraction of minerals needed for EV batteries, such as nickel

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Sharanya Pillai

Sharanya Pillai

Published Tue, May 21, 2024 · 05:00 AM
    • It is critical to ensure that coal is at most a passing feature, and not a mainstay of EV supply chains.
    • It is critical to ensure that coal is at most a passing feature, and not a mainstay of EV supply chains. PHOTO: PIXABAY

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    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.

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    Thinking AloudCoalenergy transitionElectric vehicles

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