As more and more car manufacturers announce their plans to cease production of the traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) powered vehicles and make only Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV), offices and homes are being fitted with electric vehicle charge points that will charge the batteries in their cars, which raises an inevitable question; Where will the power come from?

By 2030, 40% of all new cars sold will be electric rising to 100% a decade later according to investment bank UBS and that means the demand for battery components will be unprecedented.

As reported just this week by the BBC, Northvolt, a Swedish based company, is aiming to provide enough batteries to power nearly 300,000 electric vehicles a year with their ‘gigafactory’ that is being built just outside the Arctic Circle. Tesla founder Elon Musk has also had a factory built in the Nevada desert.

As the demand for electric cars increases, the need for power will only increase. This is a totally new industry that hasn’t existed at this kind of scale before and it is imperative that the technology used to produce anything to do with BEVs is clean and green which is why the Northvolt plant will use hydroelectric energy from the local river to fuel the processes. Anything less would ultimately be counter-productive.

An on-site recycling centre will also keep the company’s carbon footprint to a minimum but also raw materials for batteries such as lithium are not in endless supply and so it’s important to be able to recycle materials from old batteries.

The UK is building a similar hydroelectric energy gigafactory in Northumberland which should be functioning by the end of 2023 and more plants are being built in Europe.

London-based Sandy Fitzpatrick, who monitors vehicle trends for global technology analysis firm Canalys, says “Saying that their whole supply chain has components that are green and sustainably manufactured is a very good message to go out to consumers with, as opposed to using components that are flown in and have a high carbon footprint because they are transported from all over the world and are produced with very coal-intensive methods”.

This is something that we at EVC Solution also passionately believe in. Installation safety and integrity about our environmental impact are our core values. The way we do business now affects all our futures. That’s why we partner with suppliers and clients to ensure the best charging solutions to minimise carbon footprint.

Northvolt’s tagline on their website is ‘Make Oil History’ which will only be achievable if we can create a successful and sustainable supply chain for the electric vehicle revolution.

Be part of the future, today.

Adrian Cooper
Client Partnering
EVC Solutions Ltd

At EVC we do business that won’t cost the earth.

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