Demand for raw materials to make electric vehicles will triple by 2050, while lithium-ion batteries could account for more than half the total resources needed for the auto industry by the same date, research from Japan has found.
Researchers from Ritsumeikan University conducted a comprehensive study projecting future resource needs for EV batteries by 2050. They found that current estimates fail to account for the need to replace batteries during the average vehicle lifetime. Worldwide EV demand is expected to grow from less than 45 million in 2023 to 250 million in 2030 and reach 525 million in 2035., published in the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling this month, show that under current trends, the total material requirement from EVs will double from 2015 levels. But if the world were to try to limit climate change to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, resource demand would be another 22.7 percent higher.