Electric vehicles, a blessing or a curse? Possible future challenges 

Electric mobility is the key to a more sustainable transport system. It has been welcomed with open arms. The production and sale numbers are increasing and the trend is meant to continue as the world is advocating for a cleaner transport system. Following the Paris Agreement, the world is working towards achieving a minimum global temperature increase of 1.5⁰C by the end of the century. This is being done by working to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The transport system which falls under the energy sector according to the IPCC nomenclature, contributes a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. These emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels for cars, trucks, ships and different modes of transport used across the world. Approximately 90% of the fuel used in the transportation sector is petroleum based which mainly includes gasoline and diesel. The dawn of electric vehicles has provided a possible solution for the transport sector to be clean and greener, but a question I would ask is, ‘How clean is this new solution?’ Are we not just shifting the problem from one focus area to the other? It is imperative that as a new adoption is being made one gets to weigh the pros and cons before contributing to what can turn out to be a disaster. A revelation yet to be revealed in the latter.

Electric vehicles come with an increased demand for electricity as a resource to power the vehicles. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said the global EV fleet will reach about 130 million by 2030. This means an increased need to generate more electricity to meet demand within the transport sector. An average of a 15% increase in electricity demand due to electrical vehicles can be calculated from the different projections being made across the globe. The implications of this increase are tricky for a world that is working towards phasing out one of the cheapest forms of electricity, that is, coal powered thermal energy. Zimbabwe for example still relies heavily on thermal power and yet it cannot meet its electricity demand for domestic and industrial purposes. One can imagine what would happen if half the population are to own electric vehicles. A total fallback to harnessing electricity from all possible sources of energy be they clean or dirty. Remember, there are other socioeconomic targets countries are pushing for their own benefit such as industrial growth and uplifting of livelihoods and these have to be met.

There are different types of batteries that can be used to power electric vehicles but lithium-ion batteries are the heart of every electric vehicle as they have proved to be durable and of high performance. Lithium is attracting attention now more than ever. The amount of lithium required in industry is increasing and is likely to double as the demand for electric vehicles continues. This will not only put pressure on the mining industry but on the environment as the mining giants work towards achieving a balance in the supply and demand curve. Increased demand for lithium is likely to exacerbate environmental degradation. A situation where increased greenhouse gas emissions will be a ripple effect. Deforestation, loss of farming land or land for other uses, over exploitation of natural resources, a lithium rush triggering illegal mining, displacement of people, are some of the issues likely to arise as new lithium mines get established as a means to ensure the availability of the mineral.

Just like any other machine, the vehicles will at some point malfunction and stop running. The metal will become scrap. What will become of the lithium batteries? How is the waste going to be managed? Lithium toxicity to the environment and humans is low because it does not bioaccumulate, but it may present teratogenic effects if one is exposed to it in large amounts. Despite it not being a chemical of serious concern in terms of bioaccumulation, the batteries might become a nuisance if not disposed of properly. Recycling is one option to consider and studies to prove the possibility of recycling lithium are being done. Findings so far have shown that the ability of secondary lithium to be reused in batteries is uncertain. The quality of recyclable batteries is questionable and it is an area that still needs work. Efforts still need to be made to devise technologies to recycle used lithium and reduce the amount of secondary lithium to be accumulated in the environment, in the future.  

Electric mobility so far is proving to be the way to go. Electric vehicles seem to be of more benefit to the environment that they will be harmful. However, a proactive approach must be engaged with every turn this adoption takes. The highlighted possible challenges identified so far seem manageable if operations are done in a sustainable manner from cradle to grave. This could be all or there could be more, only time will tell as new challenges unravel if there are any.