On November 9, 2022, the Great Plains Institute (GPI) hosted a webinar, “Building a Sustainable Domestic Electric Vehicle Supply Chain.” The webinar brought experts together to critically examine and identify actions needed to mitigate supply chain issues in the US.

The webinar included the following

  • Ethan Elkind, Director of the Climate Program, UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment
  • Jane Hammarstrom, Geologist, and Dr. Steven M. Fortier, Director of National Minerals Information Center, United States Geological Survey
  • Alex Jacquez, Senior Policy Advisor, National Economic Council, The White House
  • Todd Malan, Chief External Affairs Officer & Head of Climate Strategy, Talon Metals
  • Michael Maten, Director of Electric Vehicle Policy & Regulatory Affairs, General Motors
  • Blaine Miller-McFeeley, Senior Legislative Representative, Earthjustice
  • Rodney Sobin, Senior Fellow, National Association of State Energy Officials
  • Danielle Woodring, Manager, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy

Over a hundred people attended from across the US, representing various organizations ranging from state agencies to environmental justice organizations to utilities and automakers.

Getting up to speed

Alex Jacquez kicked the webinar off with opening remarks covering President Biden’s electric vehicle adoption goals, the role of critical minerals in the electric vehicle supply chain, and the Biden Administration’s actions to make the transition to electric vehicles. He reiterated the administration’s goal of achieving 50 percent electric vehicle sales by 2030. Jacquez mentioned the President’s legislative accomplishments that have given half a dozen agencies the tools to work together to accomplish that goal sustainably.

The opening remarks were followed by issue briefs about the electric vehicle supply chain by Ethan Elkind, Dr. Steven M. Fortier, and Jane Hammarstrom. Elkind described the current supply chain for lithium-ion batteries and the importance of incorporating recycling in the supply chains. Notably, he mentioned that battery demand is expected to increase to 3.4 terawatt-hours annually by 2030, which is twelve times what the electric vehicle industry used in 2021.

Jane Hammarstrom and Dr. Steven Fortier shared US Geological Survey (USGS) efforts to map critical minerals, which includes regularly maintaining a US Critical Minerals List. Many minerals in the electric vehicle supply chain are categorized as high-risk critical minerals because the mining and processing are concentrated outside the US. Hammarstrom and Dr. Fortier also introduced the attendees to the  , which is an advanced tool developed by USGS. It is meant to help the government and mining companies improve their knowledge of the geologic framework in the US and identify areas that may contain undiscovered critical mineral resources. 

Themes from the panel

A robust panel discussion involving Ethan Elkind, Todd Malan, Mike Maten, Blaine Miller-McFeeley, Rodney Sobin, and Danielle Woodring explored the topic, “How can the US mitigate electric vehicle supply chain issues?”

With increasing electric vehicle adoption in the US and globally, questions about the sustainability of the transition to an electrified transportation sector have surfaced. Transportation electrification offers an opportunity to minimize the negative environmental and health impacts of a fossil fuel-based transportation sector. However, the electric vehicle supply chain poses new challenges surrounding mineral extraction and processing.

Panelists began the conversation by describing the electric vehicle supply chain and the challenges facing the supply chain today. They expressed their support for sustainable domestic mining in the US, as it helps reduce US dependence on foreign sources and could potentially minimize supply shocks caused by geopolitical events. They also stressed the need to create a fully sustainable supply chain by following best practices like early, honest, and transparent engagement with communities, setting high environmental and labor standards, and minimizing extraction by prioritizing recycling.

Importantly, the panelists noted that a sustainable electric vehicle supply chain does not exist today but could by implementing several practices, such as the following:

Recycling

Panelists also explored the role that recycling plays in the electric vehicle supply chain. Recycling critical minerals does reduce the demand for new mineral extraction, but there are challenges that limit its role. Panelists indicated that while many facilities can recycle up to 95 percent of the materials from lithium-ion batteries, the lack of uniformity in battery design across the industry and changing battery chemistries makes it difficult to predict the role of recycling in the battery supply chain.

Mode-shifting

Several panelists also highlighted the role that mode-shifting (i.e., reducing driving in favor of other modes of transportation like bicycling and transit) could play in mitigating electric vehicle supply chain issues. They acknowledged that demand for the critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries could be reduced by shifting travel to public and active transportation. Furthermore, panelists suggested that commercial electric vehicles like transit buses could be powered through an overhead catenary system or a hydrogen powertrain to reduce battery demand and vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

Automobile demand

Panelists expressed concern about the increased automobile demand from India, China, and other developing markets. Even as the US and other countries electrify their light-duty vehicle fleets, there is concern that automakers may build oversized and inefficient electric vehicles that require bigger batteries. The panelists recommended that electric vehicles be designed with lifecycle emissions in mind.

Stakeholder and community engagement

One recurring theme from the webinar was that more stakeholder and community engagement is needed to mitigate impacts, identify areas with the least conflict for mineral extraction, and put in place best practices that will lead to a sustainable transportation future for everyone.

GPI plans to hold more conversations on this topic, bringing in additional stakeholders who are impacted by the electric vehicle supply chain, including frontline communities, labor groups, native nations, recycling experts, and more.

Stay tuned to our website, sign-up for our newsletter, and follow us on social media, where we will be posting details of additional conversations as they develop.

You can view the webinar below or access the webinar recording on GPI’s YouTube channel.

Dig deeper

The Building a Sustainable Domestic Electric Vehicle Supply Chain webinar merely scratched the surface on the subject of electric vehicle supply chains. If you are interested in digging deeper on the subject, here are several resources recommended by our speakers:

Berkeley Law

Earthjustice

Earthworks

Institute for Sustainable Futures

National Association of State Energy Officials

SAFE

US Geological Survey

The White House

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