Electric cars will need to be smaller with shorter ranges and people must make fewer private journeys by road to ease the inevitable surge in demand for critical metals when transitioning to battery vehicles, according to a new report.
These are among the recommendations outlined by a green transport thinktank as part of a study looking into how to moderate the consumption of key metals needed for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
It says the usage of critical metals – namely lithium, nickel and cobalt – could be slashed by almost half by 2050, though this is dependent on manufacturers no longer producing hulking SUVs.
And it has called on governments to introduce ‘weight-based taxation’ on the heaviest and largest motors.