A recent study from the University of Michigan sheds light on a key challenge facing the global transition to electric vehicles: copper mining cannot keep up with increasing demand.
Engineering and Technology Reports Copper, essential for the generation, distribution and storage of electricity, is crucial to the success of policies aimed at encouraging EV adoption, but a recent University of Michigan study titled “Copper Mining and Vehicle Electrification” found that current copper production is insufficient to meet projected copper demand over the next few years.
A worker from the Next Minerals mining company inspects the Comahue copper mine in Antofagasta, Chile, on March 1, 2021. (Photo: Glenn Arcos/AFP) (Photo: Glenn Arcos/AFP via Getty Images)
According to GlobalData, there are more than 709 copper mines in operation worldwide, with Chile’s Escondida mine being the largest, which will produce an estimated 882,100 tonnes of copper in 2023. Despite this seemingly huge production, the rapid pace of global electrification is outpacing the mining industry’s ability to keep up. In fact, the authors state in their paper that “the amount of copper required is essentially impossible for mining companies to produce.”
The University of Michigan study highlights the fact that EVs require three to five times more copper than traditional gasoline or diesel cars, not to mention the additional copper required for power grid upgrades. University of Michigan professor Adam Simon points out, “A regular Honda Accord requires about 40 pounds of copper. The same battery-electric Honda Accord requires almost 200 pounds of copper.”
The researchers analyzed 120 years of global data on copper production going back to 1900 to project copper production for the rest of the century. They compared this to the projected amount of copper needed to transition the U.S. power infrastructure and vehicle fleet to renewable energy. The study concluded that copper demand from renewable energy will exceed the current production capacity of copper mines.
Between now and 2050, the world will need to mine 115 percent more than the copper mined in human history up to 2018 just to meet current copper demand, without considering the green energy transition. Meeting the copper demand needed to electrify the global vehicle fleet will require as many as six new large-scale copper mines to come online each year over the next few decades, with roughly 40 percent of production from these new mines needed for EV-related power grid upgrades.
The study suggests that rather than fully electrifying the entire US vehicle fleet, a more feasible approach might be to focus on building hybrid vehicles. “For example, we know that the Toyota Prius actually has a slightly better climate impact than a Tesla,” Simon said. “Instead of building 20 million EVs per year in the US and 100 million battery EVs worldwide, could it be more feasible to focus on building 20 million hybrids?”
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
