The Cost of Clean Cars

In the fierce competition for expanding electric vehicle (EV) markets, major car manufacturers and battery producers in Europe and beyond are racing to secure long-term access to raw materials and mining operations worldwide. This scramble for lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other critical minerals is taking place largely out of the public eye, with activists warning of serious environmental and social risks in mining regions. The lack of transparency poses major challenges for car manufacturers, regulators, and civil society in the transition to green energy.

This policy brief pilots innovative data and methodologies to pierce through this opacity. For the first time, we connect European car manufacturers’ EV lines directly to specific mining sites, many of them also sites of documented human rights violations. Our comprehensive end-to-end mapping of EV battery supply chains outlines serious risks to environmental and human rights that should be urgently addressed by policymakers and EV manufacturers.

The brief introduces a methodology for presenting evidence of risks in the EV supply chain, shifting the burden of proof to corporations at the end of the supply chain. After presenting our detailed preliminary analysis of European EV battery supply chains and their risk profiles, it concludes with actionable policy recommendations to enhance accountability and transparency.