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There’s a constant refrain from those who believe e-vehicles may not be the environmental saviors they are made out to be by their advocates.
In particular, the concerns expressed fall into a few categories:
- While battery-powered cars do not create tailpipe emissions, they do require the use of electrical generation facilities that themselves can be environmentally dirty.
- The electrical grid is not capable of handling the demand that would be placed on it by the widespread use of electrical vehicles.
- The batteries used in electric vehicles use components that are environmentally toxic and are mined by countries with significant human rights issues.
All but the last of these concerns are addressed elsewhere. For instance:
I will use this blog to discuss the last concern, and what is being done about it through new regulation in the European Union.
Depending on the battery chemistry, the main components can be lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. While some of these–nickel, for instance–are common elements used in many different manufactured products, some–such as lithium and cobalt–are used in such high quantities in batteries that their extraction and preparation represent potential for environmental degradation and human rights abuses.
Without controls in place, the potential for electric vehicles to have a positive impact on the environment is likely to be lessened, and human rights abuses will continue.
The European Union has proposed a solution: the Digital Battery Passport (DPP).
This passport does not apply to people crossing borders, but batteries of any type. With the rapid growth in battery use by electrical vehicles, this is likely to be the most impactful change by far.
The EU’s new Digital Battery Passport (DPP) is a program designed to ensure battery product sustainability and information-sharing across the entire product lifespan and all value chain participation.
Design News, Ray Chalmers, June 19, 2024
For example, in the case of battery components, the DPP will require labeling of:
- Minimum share of recovered materials, with standards for each.
- QR codes to give access to the DPP information.
- Carbon footprint declarations.
In addressing the potential for human rights abuses, the DPP requires the following:
- Due diligence policies for the country of origin all materials, suppliers, and supply chain transactions.
- Listing drop-off locations and policies for battery recycling to minimize mining of new materials.
All in all, the EU’s DPP is a quite meaningful step in dealing with the potential impact of electrical vehicle batteries. Let’s hope other countries follow their lead.
(More information on DPP can be found here.)
