We must kill off large electric SUVs and make fewer private car journeys to cut demand on critical metals, says green transport group

According to a new report, electric cars will need to be smaller with shorter ranges and people taking fewer private road trips to alleviate the inevitable rise in demand for critical metals as the transition to battery vehicles comes.

These are some of the recommendations made by a green transportation think tank as part of a study on moderating the consumption of key metals needed for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

It says the use of the three main critical metals – namely lithium, nickel and cobalt – could be reduced by almost half by 2050, although this depends on manufacturers no longer producing behemoth SUVs.

And it has called on governments to introduce ‘weight-based taxation’ on the heaviest and largest engines.

This week, the Brussels Transport & Environment published its new report ‘Clean and slim: battery metals demand electrifying passenger transport‘.

It estimates that Europe and the UK can use a number of options to reduce key metal demand by up to 49 per cent by mid-century – the date set aside by the government to achieve carbon neutrality.

However, the biggest reduction in metal demand will be achieved as makers produce more compact vehicles with smaller batteries, it says.

Today’s lithium-ion EV batteries rely on the metal to charge and discharge and contain nickel in the cathodes to provide high energy density, allowing vehicles to go farther on a single charge.

Cobalt is also used to ensure that cathodes do not overheat or catch fire easily and helps extend battery life, which manufacturers typically guarantee for eight to ten years.

The need to source raw materials for batteries will inevitably increase as we approach the ban on new internal combustion engine cars and vans in 2030 and grow dramatically thereafter.

The group predicts that Europe as a whole will need 200 times more battery raw materials than last year between now and 2050.

The report estimates that a shift from massive electric SUVs to smaller cars (such as the Smart EQ ForTwo pictured) could reduce demand for critical metals by 19-23%

T&E’s report showed the impact that “aggressive innovations” including fewer trips, smaller EVs and more advanced batteries could have on reducing consumption of key metals

As such, T&E says the UK government should take ‘action to reduce the size of batteries and cars’, describing it as ‘the most effective measure to reduce demand for metals’.

And it describes making smaller EVs as “the most effective way to reduce demand for the metals.”

It says a shift away from massive electric SUVs like the Audi Q8 e-tron and Mercedes EQS could reduce demand for critical metals by 19 to 23 percent.

These larger models currently dominate electric car sales in the UK. In fact, they made up more than two in five (44 percent) of all new electric vehicles sold in 2022.

“This trend towards larger, heavier vehicles must be stopped in order to lower the embedded emissions of vehicle production and reduce the load on the power grid,” the think tank said.

It has called on regulators to introduce a new ‘weight tax’ on the heaviest and largest vehicles and subsidies for smaller electric cars.

Ralph Palmer, Electric Vehicle and Fleet Officer at T&E UK, said: ‘Electric vehicles are essential to meeting the UK’s net zero and climate targets. But the growing popularity of big cars across the country could cause us to go off course.

“Small here means smarter, which provides us with economic and industrial policies geared towards a livable planet.”

The newspaper calls for the introduction of a new ‘weight tax’ on the heaviest and largest vehicles and subsidies for smaller electric cars. Pictured: an SUV from Audi and Jaguar at public charging points

The Brussels think tank describes making smaller EVs with more compact batteries as ‘the most effective way to reduce demand for key metals’, reducing consumption by 19-23% by 2050

In addition to smaller vehicles, T&E estimates that people who reduce private car trips could reduce demand for commodities by an additional 7 to 9 percent.

The proposed measures include a review of road construction programs and the introduction of low-traffic neighborhood-style plans that “rebalance the space given to passenger cars in relation to public transport, walking and cycling’.

Mr Palmer added: ‘At both national and local levels, the UK is doing everything it can to prioritize the private car. Whether it’s more space for cars, building more roads or cutting back on public transport, the car is king.

‘This has created a downward spiral of car dependence, with ever larger cars being seen as the only solution for getting around.

‘What we need to do is tip the balance in favor of people and public transport. Then we will have a transport sector that is a global leader in tackling climate change.’

The report also claims that lifetime emissions from battery-powered electric cars are “significantly lower” than fossil fuel-powered cars.

Even after factoring in manufacturing and the raw materials used in manufacturing, T&E says EVs emit 69 percent less.