As the automotive industry strives to usher in a new era of sustainability, tailpipe emissions have received the lion’s share of attention. Indeed, with these accounting for 65 to 80% of a vehicle’s total lifetime emissions, this focus is not unwarranted. The EU, UK, and the US state of California have all subsequently set deadlines for the sale of new internal combustion engines (ICEs) in the early to mid 2030s.
However, the battle for greater sustainability cannot be fought on one front; the end-to-end vehicle production processes themselves will have to change. In its September 2020 analysis of ICE manufacturing, McKinsey & Co found that 18 to 22% of emissions came from material production, 4 to 6% logistics, and 4 to 8% assembly. Electric vehicles (EVs) are no better—the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) estimated that the Tesla Model 3’s 80 kWh lithium-ion battery alone produces between 2.5 and 16 metric tonnes of CO2 per vehicle.
The opportunities for green optimisation are abundant and require a truly granular way of thinking. Henrik Fisker, Chief Executive of Fisker, tells Automotive World that his company’s new all-electric SUV, the Ocean, exemplifies this philosophy. “We’re on a mission to create the world’s most sustainable car,” he says.
