Are EVs the Key to Decarbonization?

With the world’s population continuously increasing, the demand for transport is following suit and is expected to also grow over the next few decades. Indeed, a recent International Energy Agency report predicts that global transport will double, the rate of car ownership will increase by 60%, and demand for passenger and freight aviation will triple by 2070. All together, these circumstances will lead to a large increase in transport emissions which in turn can cause further damage to the planet.

At the same time, the world is shifting towards lower-carbon electricity sources while the rise of EVs provides a viable option to reduce emissions from traditional passenger vehicles. From understanding why the planet is polluted to how EVs and batteries can lead to decarbonization, find out how Addionics’ technology can accelerate this process.  

A Polluted Planet

Due to the universal desire to constantly improve the standard of living, the vast majority of pollution results from human activities. This has led to an increase of manufacturing an innumerable amount of materials and chemicals, many of which do not break down easily in the environment. In addition to this, the fuels used to power machines and means of transport create waste gasses that remain in the atmosphere.

Current Vehicle Numbers

Today, transport makes up for approximately a fifth of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and 24% of CO2 emissions from energy. Within these figures, road travel alone accounts for almost 75% of transport emissions with most of this coming from passenger vehicles. Indeed, cars and buses account for 45.1% while 29.4% comes from trucks carrying freight. 

The whole transport sector represents 21% of total emissions and road transport makes up 75% of transport emissions, road transport therefore makes up 15% of total CO2 emissions.

If 21% of total emissions are accounted for by the whole transport sector and 75% of transport emissions are accounted for by road transport, road transport therefore accounts for 15% of total CO2 emissions.

Additionally, short distance road transport makes up 11% of global emissions and has a significant impact on climate change. 

Decarbonization with the EV industry 

With fewer greenhouse gasses and air pollutants emitted compared to petrol and diesel cars, EVs are more beneficial to the environment. Indeed, as pure EVs don’t have a tailpipe, they don’t produce carbon dioxide emissions when driving, which reduces air pollution. Furthermore, this factors in their production and the needed electricity generated to keep them running. As such, EVs are important for meeting global goals on climate change. 

Though EVs are an important part of the decarbonization solution, there are still many issues  that release enormous amounts of air pollutants and carbon dioxide into the air. Indeed a range of technological revolutions in each of the major emitting sectors are needed including construction, shipping, agriculture, aviation and steel. Additionally, natural disasters including wildfires are also problematic. 

Paving the Road to Decarbonization with Batteries

Widespread decarbonization relies heavily on a key component: the battery.

With important amounts of batteries needed per EV, exponential numbers of batteries will be required. For instance, the Tesla Model S alone needs more than 7,000 batteries. As battery technology becomes more advanced, adapted to user needs and more widespread, they will increasingly be used. However, improvements are still needed, in relation to cost, performance, charging time and safety. 

Moreover, when it comes to achieving complete decarbonization, the world is on an accelerated path to produce 100% renewable energy. How this is carried out depends on the batteries used to store the energy and how many there are. Indeed, how the EV industry paves the road to decarbonization depends on the batteries and battery technology available. While the automotive industry is already in a rapid process of manufacturing a high number of batteries, car makers are also becoming battery manufacturers to match the high demand and supply chain issues. Therefore, batteries will play one of the most important roles in this process.

The Addionics Effect 

Currently, one of the main drawbacks of batteries and EVs is choosing between range and power. By allowing a larger quantity of active material to be loaded into batteries, Addionics Smart 3D Electrodes make them more efficient, allowing various performance improvements including a longer range. With these improvements come a more widespread adoption that in turn will lead to decarbonization.

Find out more about Addionics' technology or contact us for collaboration opportunities.