13 May 2022  |   06:33am IST

Electric vehicles boon or bane?

Two recent news items appearing almost simultaneously caught my attention. The first was reports of 2-wheeler EVs spontaneously catching fire. 20 vehicles burst into flames whilst being transported from the Nashik factory. There were other incidents in Pune, Vellore, Tiruchirappalli and Chennai, from various manufacturers, suggesting that the cause was more conceptual, rather than isolated manufacturing defects. Initial enquiries by experts, suggested overheating, short circuits and extreme vibration or stress on the lithium-ion battery units. Cobalt, a significant component of these batteries, is highly flammable. Other suspects were inferior cells and component materials and poor battery management systems. Ola Electric alone recalled 1,441 units of its electric two-wheelers, but stated that the incidents were isolated cases. Even as the present EV population is one million and rising, experts insist that exploding batteries and vehicles catching fire are “teething” problems. 

 The second news item was a series of announcements by Indian auto manufacturers led by Tata Motors and Honda, of their long-term plans to switch over to EVs and hybrids. New models were showcased; with investment gurus so enthused that they opined that the auto industry was the investment destination of the future. Various reports place the number of EVs at anywhere between 23 million to 145 million by 2030. This is hardly surprising with both the local industry and foreign giants like Volvo announcing that they will stop selling internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2030.  Ford, GM and Mercedes Benz plan to do so by 2035.

 However, the fundamental concept needs a serious second look if we are to avoid EVs turning into another environmental disaster like plastics. Initially hailed as a revolution reminiscent of the wheel, plastic pollution today threatens the very existence of the human race. EVs are heralded as the ultimate solution to atmospheric pollution from fossil fuel dependent ICEs. True, EVs do reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses by 67%. But there is a catch in over-emphasizing the “clean” aspects of EVs. Almost two-third of India’s electricity comes from coal, and is likely to remain so for at least another ten years. The increased coal combustion merely shifts the pollution from the roads to the thermal plants that have to cope with the increased demand for electricity; in much the same manner as the production of ethanol involved such additional demands on land and energy that the benefits of using it as a fuel additive ended in a zero-sum game. Coal is hardly a clean energy source; and the overall reduction in greenhouse gas emission using EVs will be counterbalanced by the increased use of coal to power the EVs; a repeat of the ethanol story. 

The heart of the EV is the battery which has a manufacturing stage and a disposal stage. EVs use a Lithium-ion battery which contains a combination of Lithium, Nickel, Manganese and Cobalt. India has to import these and it is the mining where the problem arises, in terms of social and environmental costs. For example, Lithium comes mainly from South America’s Andes region (Argentina, Bolivia and Chile). Producing a ton of Lithium requires 2 million litres of water. In Chile, for example, it consumes 65% of the available water; a rather heavy burden on the dry Andes area. The extraction process involves evaporation of Lithium brine over 12-18 months. To speed up this process, to meet rising demand, the brine is often heated using fossil fuels; thereby reverting the problem back to square one. Further, there is chemical contamination by the discarded water, creating an additional problem for the farmers. Lithium consumption has already increased by 150% since 2013, and is expected to further quadruple by 2025, with EVs accounting for 90% of the demand; hardly a reassuring scenario. 

The story with Cobalt is even worse. Mined as a by-product of copper and nickel in the past, there is now a scarcity due to an increased demand for batteries. 70% of world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where regulations are observed more in the breach. The dust from the Cobalt mines has precipitated an epidemic of respiratory diseases and birth defects. Rivers and water bodies are so badly polluted that it is estimated to last hundreds of years. According to UNICEF, about 40,000 children were employed in the DRC Cobalt mines in 2014. In short, mining for Cobalt in the DRC for batteries has resulted in serious hazards from toxic waste, radioactivity and child and slave labour. The story with mining nickel and manganese is no better. And it goes further in the disposal phase.

 The life of a battery is estimated to be between 2 to 10 years, depending on quality and usage. They can be recycled and reused; but eventually there comes a time for disposal. The e-waste contains at least 30 different toxic chemicals including  mercury, cadmium, and lead. These can leach into the soil and contaminate the groundwater. Lead, mercury, and other heavy metals can damage human organs. Cadmium can affect the kidneys and lungs. Nickel can irritate skin and eyes. Lithium can cause nerve damage. Other problems are cancer, birth defects, genetic damage, neurological disorders and premature aging. 

EVs by themselves are obviously not the final solution for atmospheric pollution, unless the energy to power them comes from renewable energy sources like solar, hydro and wind energy. Moreover, batteries require intensive further research to come up with design solutions that address the current issues. Otherwise, we will be saddled with a repeat of the plastics story.

(The writer is a founder member of VHAG)

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar