R O A D S A N D T R A N S P O R T Lithium - Decarbonizing the Transport Sector

TheNewMotion:ElectricityCharged Courtesy:News18com

As seen already in the section of this Publication on the Economy, Lithium has become one of the most in-demand commodities in the world today due to its significant role in the clean energy transition. According to the World Bank, by 2050, global production of critical minerals used in low-carbon technologies is projected to rise by 965% for lithium, 585% for cobalt, 383% for graphite, 241% for indium, 173% for vanadium as the clean energy transition continues.

The problem - Emissions in the transport sector

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that in 2021, the Transport sector accounted for 37% of CO2 emissions globally, making it stand out ahead of any other end-use sector in terms of emissions due to its high reliance on fossil fuels as its energy source.

The IEA further indicates that to get on track with Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, CO2 emissions from the sector must fall by about 3% per year by 2030 This calls for a review of the sector’s uptake of CO2-emitting substances, and also to look out for other alternative fuels to reduce emissions.

Electric vehicles

A widely discussed alternative fuel is electricity! Electric vehicles (EVs) have proven to be a key technology to the decarbonizing of road transport. The IEA reported that record EV and clean energy deployment are contributing to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions in 2022. By providing more improved range, wider model availability, and increased performance, the sale of EVs has exponentially grown over the past few years In total, the IEA reports that there have been 16 5 million electric cars sold in 2021, and this number is projected to keep increasing, which will in turn reduce emissions contributed by the sector. This scenario becomes even better with the use of Renewable energy as the source of electricity!

1990s, providing an even faster charging ability in comparisontolead-acidbatteries.

Li-ion batteries are helping manufacturers replace combustion engines powered by fossil fuels in conventional automobiles. Apart from EVs, lithium batteriesarealsousedinmanycommercialandindustrial goods such as smartphones and computers, backup power for telecom-base stations and data centers and, in space, as the power sources for earth-orbiting and interplanetarysatellites.

Cost/Benefit

The IEA also reported that in 2021, the use of EVs displaced around 0.3Million barrels of oil per day, and instead, consumed about 50TWh of electricity, which accounts for less than 0 5% of current total final electricity consumption worldwide Even with the current high electricity prices, EVs remain the most cost-effective choice over time, according to analysis by the IEA In order to be in step with the global Net Zero goals, the Agency estimates a need for EVs todisplacemorethan7Millionbarrelsofoilperdayin2030.

The high costs, use and increasing demand for lithium raise questionssuchas; wherewillalltheneededlithiumcomefrom? atwhatcost?

What other developments are happening around you that aim at decarbonizing the transport sector? Lets talk at briefing@rdjpublishing.africa

Readings:

As the world shifts to clean energy, especially through electric mobility, lithium has become a critical component in high energy-density rechargeable battery manufacture due to its high electrochemical potential Lithium is the lightest metal in the world, with a muchhigher energy density than other metals. This makes it even more ideal for battery production. Battery makers anticipate that lithium-ion batteries will keep dominating the industry as they are now becoming more affordable than when they first came to the market in the early https://www worldbank org/en/news/feature/2019/10/07/cha nging-mining-practices-and-greening-value-chains-for-a-lowcarbonworld#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20World%20Bank's,17 3%25%20for%20vanadium%20by%202050 https://www iea org/reports/electric-vehicles https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/fron tier-technology-issues-lithium-ion-batteries-a-pillar-for-afossil-fuel-free-economy/ https://qz com/why-zimbabwe-has-banned-the-export-of-rawlithium-1849918099