Electric vehicles (“EV”) use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries rather than internal combustion engines (“ICE”) and produce zero emissions at the tailpipe, making them the perfect cars for a carbon-neutral society. With several countries across the world looking to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, EVs are poised to replace ICE cars over the next couple of decades. However, while EVs produce zero carbon emissions, sourcing the rare minerals used in EV batteries has environmental and human rights impacts. These minerals are often mined in lower-income countries without much consideration for pollution and labor rights. On top of that, EV batteries aren’t usually built with recycling in mind, and they can cause significant pollution at the end of their lives.
Greener raw materials would make EVs even more ecofriendly. Current mining operations for minerals such as lithium have raised plenty of questions about human rights, child labor land and water pollution. A metals company from France is working on a novel method for mining lithium called nanofiltration. Usually, the rare metal is extracted from subterranean aquifers or land deposits by evaporating vast amounts of saltwater in massive lake-sized pools. Eramet’s experimental process filters the saltwater through natural mineral granules before returning it to the aquifer, resulting in 90% yield rates and reducing virgin lithium loss.
Modular battery designs could help solve the obsolescence problem that plagues most electronics. The components of an EV battery have different lifetimes and repairing or replacing a damaged component can be difficult since most batteries are either welded or glued together. Modular EV batteries wouldn’t face the same problem as they could be easily disassembled. A UK startup called Aceleton has created a modular battery that uses compression to hold the internal components together, making repairs, servicing and repurposing significantly easier.
Stationary energy storage plants can benefit from using old EV batteries. On average, an EV battery will lose some of its energy capacity over time. Rather than being dumped in landfills, such batteries can be used as stationary power storage. In Newcastle, Connected Energy is using old EV batteries and integrating them into stationary power storage units. These units can store renewable energy from the grid when the supply is high but the demand is low and then release the energy back into the grid during peak demand hours. Research from Lancaster University shows that Connected Energy’s storage system saves 1,100 tons of carbon dioxide for every megawatt-hour it provides.
Recycling keeps end-of-life EV batteries from ending up in landfills and polluting the environment. Once an EV battery loses most of its capacity and can’t be reused for stationary power storage, recycling is the best course of action. Low-energy smelting has emerged as a viable recycling method for recycling EV batteries safely. Umicore, a smelting firm in Belgium, is using a recycling system that melts the batteries’ core components into a metal alloy containing cobalt, copper and nickel, as well as a concentrate composed of lithium and other rare elements. The process requires relatively little energy thanks to the leftover energy in the batteries and the heat generated from burning off the harmful gases produced in the process.
Battery passports would track how battery manufacturers managed social and environmental risks along every stage of the supply line. The Global Battery Alliance (“GBA”) plans to unveil such a passport at the end of 2022. EV drivers would be able to get an idea of the battery’s history, including possible environmental and human rights violations in the mining process. Battery passports would make customers more mindful of how their EVs were built and encourage battery manufacturers to use green, ecofriendly practices.
As many more players, including Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), enter the EV space, we are likely to see many more innovations that could boost the rate at which electric vehicle uptake occurs.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Mullen Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/MULN
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