Transport & Environment Published: March 2021 In-house analysis by Transport & Environment Authors: Lucien Mathieu (Sections 1-5) and Cecilia Mattea (Section 6) Modelling: Lucien Mathieu Expert group: Julia Poliscanova, Alex Keynes, Thomas Earl Editeur responsable: William Todts, Executive Director © 2021 European Federation for Transport and Environment AISBL To cite this study Transport & Environment (2021), From dirty oil to clean batteries Further information Lucien MATHIEU Transport & E-mobility Analyst Transport & Environment
[email protected] Mobile: +32 (0)4 83 08 48 91 Square de Meeûs, 18 – 2nd floor | B-1050 | Brussels | Belgium www.transportenvironment.org | @transenv | fb: Transport & Environment Acknowledgements The authors kindly acknowledge the external peer reviewers James Frith (Bloomberg NEF, Head of Energy Storage) and Hans Eric Melin (Founder of Circular Economy Storage). The findings and views put forward in this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors listed above. The same applies to any potential factual errors or methodology flaws. A study by 2 Executive Summary In light of the urgency to decarbonise the transport sector, batteries offer the best route to a carbon free road transport system and are the key technology underpinning the transition of road vehicles to zero emissions, freeing the sector from its dependency on fossil-fuels. With battery electric vehicles (BEV) expected to replace conventional cars in Europe, the demand in battery cells and battery raw materials like lithium, nickel and cobalt is set to grow in the coming years. But how can the demand for battery materials be met sustainably? And how does a battery-based road transport system compare to the current fossil driven road mobility? In this report T&E analyses forecasted supply and demand of battery cells and associated raw materials in Europe, looking at how recycling can reduce the need for battery primary materials.