2023-11-09 11:07:54
Copper, cobalt, aluminum, lithium, graphite, nickel… From the bodywork to the engine, including the battery, the manufacture of an electric car uses several kilos of these critical metals. 2.2 times, on average, than a thermal car, indicates WWF France in a study published this Thursday
However, the electric car “is essential to succeed in the fight against global warming”, insists the NGO. When it comes to carbon footprint, there is often no photo. “In France, over its entire life cycle, i.e. the fifteen years that elapse between its manufacture and its scrapping, an electric car emits two to five times less emissions than the car oil,” recalled Aurélien Bigo, researcher specializing in mobility, last May at 20 Minutes.
SUVs that consume three times more copper and aluminum
The problem with the electric car is “its size,” points out Jean Burkard, director of advocacy at WWF France, emphasizing that SUVs now constitute 41% of sales of these vehicles. This is the whole message of this new study which sounds a new call for the “de-uvization” of the French car, three years ago a first report from the NGO which already called for this to be done.
“A large electric SUV consumes 3 times more copper and aluminum and 5 times more lithium, nickel and cobalt than a small electric city car,” estimates the study. This rise of electric SUVs could thus increase the pressure on these rare metals. It could thus be multiplied by 30 in 20 years, already feared the International Energy Agency who are concerned about insufficient production to meet this booming demand.
In this context, France is in an unfavorable position, as it produces very few of these critical metals on its soil. This poses “geostrategic risks” according to Jean Burkard, and means that in the event of a shortage, “we will have to choose between having electric vehicles, wind turbines or electrical networks.
In its study, WWF studied three “realistic” scenarios and their consequences: that of “letting go” where everything would continue as today, that of “intermediate” where current policies would have an effect on demand and that of “sobriety », with more proactive policies to reduce the size of vehicles and dependence on the car.
A demand that risks exceeding our economic weight
The result is clear: “If we do not adopt this scenario of sobriety”, France’s demand for “critical” metals will be between 5 and 15% too high “in relation to its economic weight”, explains Jean Burkard.
On the other hand, in the sobriety scenario, demand would be “25% lower” than the country’s economic weight, even opening the way to the export of lithium – a precious metal whose price has soared and of which we have deposits on our territory. sol-, “an important asset for the French trade balance”, he points out.
“De-SUVizing the electric market” by taking the sober route “will already reduce demand (for critical metals) by 17% in 2035 compared to a hands-off scenario,” the report adds.
Play on the “weight penalty” and “ecological bonus” levers
To reduce the size of electric vehicles, WWF calls on the government to introduce “a specific weight penalty” for electric vehicles. While the finance bill for 2024, currently being discussed in parliament, should reduce the trigger threshold for this “auto penalty” from the current 1.8 tonnes to 1.6. For electric SUVs, the WWF proposes to include a reduction of 300 kg, in order to take into account the weight of a battery which the NGO considers to have a reasonable capacity (50kWh) to cover 320 km on the road and cover the the vast majority of French people’s daily trips.
The WWF does not want to only use this “ecological penalty” lever. Mirroring this, the study also proposes “reserving the ecological bonus only for electric cars weighing less than 1.6 tonnes”, compared to 2.4 currently. The association also recommends “requiring car manufacturers to annually publish the average weight of registered electric cars” and creating a European penalty of 5 euros per kilo as soon as the threshold of 1.6 tonnes is exceeded.
Responding in advance to the objections, the WWF proposes to introduce an exemption for large families – obliged to opt for a large vehicle – who would benefit from a “special regime”. In detail, the study recommends for these large families a bonus for the purchase of a car weighing more than 1.6 tonnes (but less than 2 tonnes) and a reduced penalty for the purchase of a heavy, spacious electric car.
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