Impact of transport electrification on critical metal sustainability with a focus on the heavy-duty segment

• Published in: Nature communications 2019-11, Vol.10 (1), p.5398-7, Article 5398
• Main Authors: Hao, Han, Geng, Yong, Tate, James E., Liu, Feiqi, Chen, Kangda, Sun, Xin, Liu, Zongwei, Zhao, Fuquan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 704/844/682; 704/844/685; Electrification; Humanities and Social Sciences; Impact strength; Lithium; Metals; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sustainability; Transport; Trucking industry; Vehicles
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13400-1

The majority of transport electrification studies, examining the demand and sustainability of critical metals, have focused on light-duty vehicles. Heavy-duty vehicles have often been excluded from the research scope due to their smaller vehicle stock and slower pace of electrification. This study fills this research gap by evaluating the lithium resource impacts from electrification of the heavy-duty segment at the global level. Our results show that a mass electrification of the heavy-duty segment on top of the light-duty segment would substantially increase the lithium demand and impose further strain on the global lithium supply. The significant impact is attributed to the large single-vehicle battery capacity required by heavy-duty vehicles and the expected battery replacement needed within the lifetime of heavy-duty vehicles. We suggest that the ambition of mass electrification in the heavy-duty segment should be treated with cautions for both policy makers and entrepreneurs. Resource impacts from the electrification of transport sector in terms of heavy-duty vehicles are understudied. Here the authors find that a mass deployment of plug-in electric vehicles in the heavy-duty segment at the global level can substantially increase the lithium demand.