Experts Expose the Myth Behind the 'Green' Electric Vehicle
In a report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), it was revealed that the average electric vehicle requires approximately six times more rare earth materials throughout the manufacturing process than a regular vehicle requires. It Matters To You explains that mining these mineral inputs - which include materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite - takes an incredible amount of energy and requires diesel and coal-powered machinery. In turn, this produces immense amounts of carbon emissions. According to It Matters To You, recent modelling predicts that by 2040, the rare earth material demand for clean energy technologies will increase to six times higher than the demand in 2020. Mineral demand for use in electric vehicles and battery storage in particular will rise to 30 times its current demands. Unfortunately, experts predict that due to changing climate conditions, these rare earth materials will likely decline in quality over the years; already, the average copper ore grade has declined by 30% over the last 15 years in Chile.