This week's 1-Minute-Climate-Snippet looks at advancements in the Electric Vehicle battery space. Companies like Moment Energy and KoBold Metals are disrupting the traditional ways we look at EV lifecycles by focusing on circularity.
Battery innovation is among the newest wave of technology advancements that is sure to disrupt the ClimateTech landscape. However, like any advancing technology, there are general concerns.
According to Coltura, if EV batteries continue to be made of lithium-ion, the primary concerns are 1) labor practices for mining cobalt; 2) environmental impacts of extracting lithium; 3) sufficient supply of materials for EV batteries; 4) carbon emissions from battery manufacture, and 5) toxic waste from disposal of used batteries.
That being said, many emerging companies are having great success reinventing the ways that we look at EV lifecycles to focus on the circularity of the overall product.
KoBold Metals, for example, is an AI-Powered mineral exploration company that uses advanced computing techniques to find new sources of metals that can power electric vehicles. Moment Energy is another company that focuses on providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy storage by repurposing retired EV batteries.
These two companies are just the tip of the iceberg! There is and will continue to be a mass influx of companies who are continuing to disrupt the battery innovation landscape.
Buildings and urban environments need to be designed and retrofitted to handle extreme heat, ensuring they remain energy-efficient, safe, and comfortable.
Around the world, the impacts of climate change—rising temperatures, shifting patterns of rainfall, more frequent and intense extreme weather, and rising sea levels—are affecting all types of infrastructure, from energy and transport to water, waste, and telecommunications.