Miners in the Congo. Demand for cobalt is exploding due to its use in the rechargeable batteries. Photograph: Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty ImagesQ: We currently own a hybrid which we bought second-hand. We would like an EV but I’m concerned about the ethical sourcing of raw materials and the human rights impact. For us, keeping our current car is a more sustainable green action than even buying a used EV.
However, it’s not that simple. For a start, the energy needed to create those batteries can be drawn from renewable sources – wind, solar, and hydro – and increasingly that is the case.
By contrast, that’s exactly what you can do with electric power. Once it’s been used for a journey, the battery can be recharged – ideally with renewable energy of course – and used again. And once it has lived out its useful life as an EV battery, it can be used again. Even in the worst-case scenario, an EV is still less polluting than a conventional car. Eco-think-tank Transport & Environment has crunched the numbers, and found that: “In the worst case scenario, an electric car with a battery produced in still emits 37 per cent less CO2 than a petrol car. And in the best case scenario, an electric car with a battery produced inand driven in Sweden can emit 83 per cent less than petrol.