Impact of transport electrification on critical metal sustainability with a focus on the heavy-duty segment

作者：Han Hao, Yong Geng, James Tate, Feiqi Liu, Kangda Chen, Xin Sun, Zongwei Liu, Fuquan Zhao · 发表于：Nature Communications · 年份：2019 · DOI：10.1038/s41467-019-13400-1 · 被引用次数：137 · 研究领域：Advanced Battery Technologies Research、Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure、Advancements in Battery Materials

The majority of transport electrification studies, examining the demand and sustainability of critical metals, have focused on light-duty vehicles. Heavy-duty vehicles have often been excluded from the research scope due to their smaller vehicle stock and slower pace of electrification. This study fills this research gap by evaluating the lithium resource impacts from electrification of the heavy-duty segment at the global level. Our results show that a mass electrification of the heavy-duty segment on top of the light-duty segment would substantially increase the lithium demand and impose further strain on the global lithium supply. The significant impact is attributed to the large single-vehicle battery capacity required by heavy-duty vehicles and the expected battery replacement needed within the lifetime of heavy-duty vehicles. We suggest that the ambition of mass electrification in the heavy-duty segment should be treated with cautions for both policy makers and entrepreneurs.