The Climate Cost of Not Converting Lithium into Batteries for Cars

Transportation is responsible for 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, this sector is shifting from fossil fuels to electric motorization to accelerate the energy transition. It is estimated that more than 30% of new vehicles sold in 2030 will be electric.

Behind the extraction of lithium lies a significant technological change that can help combat climate change. The boom in this metal is driven by the rise in electric vehicle production, which can replace those that run on fossil fuels. The burning of petroleum derivatives produces carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the transportation sector contributes about 15% of global GHG emissions. In Argentina, this percentage is 13.8%, and it is the second-largest emitting subsector, behind livestock activity, according to the latest National GHG Inventory.

The mass adoption of electric vehicles alone will not lead to a world of net-zero emissions. The challenge is more complex, but electromobility can make a significant contribution to emission reductions.

There is an urgency to accelerate this energy transition. 'Scientific information is very clear that we are facing an existential risk for humanity,' says Romina Picolotti, co-founder of the Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA).

With scientific evidence, Picolotti points out: 'We only have seven years to avoid exceeding a 1.5-degree rise in the planet's average temperature.' According to calculations, beyond that threshold, more irreversible tipping points, such as the melting of polar ice, will occur, which in turn will accelerate global warming.

However, the environmentalist is optimistic. 'I am hopeful that the energy transition is already underway. We just need to speed it up.'

Electric Vehicles Are Not 'Zero Emissions'

Although they do not emit CO2 from their exhaust pipes (which, in fact, they don’t have), the 'zero emissions' label placed on electric cars is not entirely accurate. Emissions are generated during the manufacturing of the car and its batteries. This chain starts with the extraction of lithium and other raw materials, passing through the car factory, and ending with the transport of the vehicle to the dealership. Energy is consumed throughout this process.

In addition, electric vehicles require energy to charge their batteries while in use. In both cases, the key factor is the country's electricity matrix. If the car factory is connected to a grid that generates all its energy from sustainable sources, the footprint will be different from a factory connected to a grid powered by coal and natural gas. Similarly, battery recharging will be more or less environmentally friendly, depending on the electricity matrix where the vehicle operates.

However, evidence indicates that, in all scenarios, electric vehicles generate fewer CO2 emissions than cars that run on gasoline, diesel, or compressed natural gas (CNG). Electromobility could be incorporated not only into passenger cars but also into public and freight transport. Each car battery pack requires between 4 and 8 kilos of lithium, while a bus needs up to 200 kilos.

In contrast, a cell phone battery only requires 3 grams. Argentina is the third country with the largest lithium reserves in the world, after Chile and Australia. Converting that lithium into batteries could help accelerate the energy transition to combat climate change.

How Much Emissions Can Be Reduced with Electromobility?

A 2019 study by the Institute for Environmental Research in Sweden estimated a range of 61 to 106 kg of CO2 equivalent per kWh of battery capacity manufactured. This wide range is due to the energy matrix that powers the industries involved in battery cell manufacturing.

Meanwhile, a study in the U.S. determined that an internal combustion car emits 563 grams of CO2 per kilometer traveled throughout its useful life. In an electric vehicle, this figure drops to 321 grams. It is important to note that 60% of electricity in the U.S. comes from fossil fuels. Argentina has a similar percentage, while in Norway, it is almost 0%, thanks to its hydroelectric plants. Therefore, the carbon footprint will be significantly lower in the Nordic country.

This MIT report acknowledges that internal combustion cars still have some room to be more efficient and reduce their emissions to 362 grams of CO2 per kilometer. But electric vehicles have greater potential to become more eco-friendly as countries shift their electricity matrix to a more sustainable system using solar, wind, and other sources. Emissions could even drop to just 80 grams per kilometer.

Future Scenarios for Electromobility

More than 30% of new vehicles sold in 2030 will be electric, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). A report from this organization states that, for 2023, it is likely that electric cars will represent 18% of sales.

This expansion means that the demand for fossil fuels from the land transportation sector will begin to decrease in just two years. By 2030, around 5% of current oil consumption will have been eliminated.

In 2022, more than 10 million electric cars were sold worldwide. For comparison, Argentina’s entire car fleet consists of 15 million vehicles. If these 10 million cars had been internal combustion vehicles, they would have produced 80 megatons of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) emissions, according to the IEA. This is four times the net emissions of Uruguay (19 MtCO2e).

So far, the growth of electric vehicles has been led by China, which accounted for nearly 60% of global sales in 2022. In the short term, the IEA expects this growth to be driven by the U.S. and the European Union (EU), where new policies are being implemented to support the energy transition.

The EU has decided to ban the production and sale of new gasoline or diesel vehicles. This means hybrid vehicles (gas-electric) will also be banned.

The law also includes a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions from new vehicles by 2030, compared to 2021 levels. Although there is the possibility of developing other technologies, such as hydrogen cars and 'efuels,' electromobility is the most mature platform.

In the U.S., new regulations passed in April 2023 stipulate that by 2032, 67% of cars sold in the country must be electric. The percentage is 50% for buses and 25% for long-distance freight trucks.