Last week, our CSO, Hakim Aceval, and Project Manager, Pavlina Spasovska, attended the London EV Show. Hakim had the opportunity to join the Revolutionary Technology Trends panel, and talk about “Blockchain Product Passports for the EV supply chain”. At the same time Pavlina interacted with industry leaders from all over the globe and was able to catch up on the latest developments within the sector.
The event provided deep insight into the EV market, its development, the potential, as well as the challenges.
The London EV Show
With COP26 being held in November 2021, one of the key takeaways was relating to the transport sector. This reiterated the shift to electric mobility and resulted in a signed declaration with more than 30 countries and business organisations committing to have all passenger cars and vans with 100% zero emissions by 2035 for leading economies, and 2040 for the rest of the signatories.
In a similar manner, the London EV Show was packed with three full days of talks reflecting a lot on these topics. It provided a great source of insight into the current status of the EV market, its landscape and overview, from both a governmental and business perspective.
Key takeaways
The first conference session was chaired by Quentin Wilson (‘Top Gear’, ‘Fifth Gear’) and we had the opportunity to hear about the sustainability challenges and questions surrounding the EV sector. With presenters coming from both governmental, state and industry level such as Transport for London, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and BMW, it was interesting to learn more on their perspectives and commitments on sustainability, while reflecting on COP26 outcomes.
Amongst the various topics presented during the course of the event, these are some of our major takeaways:
- Electric Vehicles are the way forward. However, in order to succeed, this comes with a whole set of supporting mechanisms that require addressing EV charging infrastructure, tariffs, and grid policies, amongst others.
- EV charging infrastructure. As one of the presenters pointed out, EV infrastructure is still not fully available, even in most European capitals. The presence of quite a few electric charging solutions and service-providing companies furthered the development of this segment and innovation in the space. The activities range not only from the design and definition of charging stations, but also from the materials and way energy is provided.
- E-mobility platforms including tariffs and trends in energy charging and consumption were also another important aspect. With a focus on smart and sustainable charging, various solutions offered multiple options for EV and fleet owners.
- The infrastructure is a direct driver for EV adoption along with grid policies and subsidization of EV vehicles.
- Governmental and institutional support is a key factor for e-mobility. Hearing from a few of the governmental participants there are some good indications and examples as to how they can be a supporting mechanism for not only policies and stimulating adoption, but also for EV startups that are nurturing the development spirit in the sector.
However, a more deeper look into the EV supply chain from a downstream perspective was also elaborated providing insights into the units powering the EVs’ batteries.
- Battery manufacturing and development is in full swing in the past years. There are various chemistries and advancements in this field allowing for a more efficient usage of both materials and increased capacities (LFP & NMC cathodes, C-Si anodes, solid-state batteries etc.)
- The scarcity of raw materials (cobalt, nickel, graphite) and the importance of the circular economy concept for battery production is something that cannot be underestimated.
- The design of EV vehicles and batteries should be practical, providing easy dismantling and instructions that are beneficial for the next actor in the supply chain and still support circularity.
- There are new proposed and upcoming regulations on batteries and due diligence obligations worldwide. This reveals the sense of urgency and increased demand for raw materials, as well as requirements of quality and detailed origin of materials.
- Traceability of raw materials and their transformation along the supply chain comes into play.
- Recycling batteries as end-of-life approaches is a major step in addressing scarcity and it was encouraging to hear that there is a tremendous advancement in the field and already established capacities. Feeding in secondary raw materials within the EV supply chain is expected to ease the pressure on the demand side and result in less CO2 release.
During the Revolutionary Technology Trends panel, multiple concepts and experiences were presented, ranging from e-mobility models to the application of clean tech within the aviation industry and electric vans. Our CSO, Hakim Aceval, joined the panel to discuss blockchain product passports, and more specifically Minespider’s latest innovation, the Battery Passport.
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Minespider’s Battery Passport is a digital representation of the battery and its life cycle. It gives a full overview of the battery components, its raw materials and sourcing details. It also allows for the entry of carbon emissions data at every stage of the production, which (combined with the info above) makes decision making easier for the end-of-life period and battery recycling stages. The overall goal is to increase transparency at each stage, and gather important ESG information and lifecycle data, based on what a sustainable battery should encompass.
In his presentation, Hakim focused on key industry challenges for the battery industry: Material scarcity, Social, Environmental and PR related challenges. He also elaborated on current and upcoming regulations on a national, EU and global scale and how Minespider’s Battery Passport can help companies to get on top of their supply chains (beyond Tier2).His overall focus was on helping companies to make compliance with ever increasing regulatory needs easier and digitize the overall way they manage their supply chains on the bleeding edge of blockchain technology.
The Way Forward
During a three day spotlight on the EV sector we were able to grasp the challenges that it brings. Being a complex ecosystem, supply chain actors and different stakeholders now have the chance to rearrange their processes in a way which is more sustainable, responsible and aligned.
As governments are getting more traction on the topic and regulatory requirements are being set up, it has opened a whole myriad of questions and debates within the supply chain.
The key takeaway is that achieving net zero emissions vehicles and aligning with climate goals is only possible with a combination of governmental and organisational collaboration. Supporting the development of the sector will largely depend on the mutual efforts of all ecosystem actors. A good starting point would be providing the right incentives for enabling faster EV adoption and deploying the necessary charging infrastructure to support the sector.
