WA based sustainable tech company Talga has teamed up with Swedish auto manufacturer Polestar to help solve one of the outstanding emissions problems posed by the rise of EVs.
Perth based battery materials and technology company Talga Group Ltd has joined the Polestar 0 project, an initiative spearheaded by Swedish electric vehicle company, Polestar, to develop a climate-neutral production car by 2030.
While electric vehicles have zero tail pipe emissions their production, especially their batteries are resource and emission heavy.
Some estimates have the production emissions for BEVs as approximately 40% higher than those of hybrid and ICE vehicles, 0r 14 CO2 tonnes emitted as compared to 10, principally due to the five tonnes of CO2 emiited in the manufacturing od the battery.
According to a McKinsey & Company study, this high emission intensity can be attributed to the extraction and refining of raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel that are needed for batteries, as well as the energy-intensive manufacturing process of BEVs.
The Polestar 0 project aims to eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions throughout the electric vehicle supply chain, production and end-of-life process, to produce a truly climate-neutral car without offsetting.
The aim of Talga and Polestar in the partnership is to develop a natural graphite anode for the project.
Currently graphite, as the anode, is the largest volume mineral component of a Li-ion battery, but incumbent synthetic graphite is energy intensive and dependent on oil and coal precursors.
Talga’s existing product Talnode-C is a natural graphite anode material made using renewable energy for a low emissions footprint. It has an ultra-low emission profile; 92 per cent less CO2 than synthetic anodes as demonstrated in an independent Life Cycle Assessment.
Talga owns graphite resources in Sweden and is also currently developing a silicon anode product and conductive additives for cathodes.
Talga Managing Director, Mark Thompson said he was pleased to join forces with Polestar on the inspiring project.
“As a global leader in green battery materials, we support our customers in their goal to decarbonise the automotive industry and share their commitment to sustainability,” Thompson said.
Polestar 0 project Lead, Hans Pehrson says the project recognised the need to urgently address GHG emissions that stem from production, commented:
“Partnering with Talga in this research collaboration is an exciting development and another important step towards realising Polestar’s ambition of developing a climate-neutral car. Production of the anode in battery modules is an essential topic for an electric vehicle, so our research together with Talga is very important in our effort to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and I really look forward to our collaboration.”
The ambition of the Polestar 0 project is to eliminate GHG emissions throughout the supply chain, from the extraction of raw materials to material and vehicle production, delivery, and end of life, without relying on offsetting schemes.
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