EV myths muddy the road to electrification
Claims that electric vehicle batteries are tainted by exploitative mineral supply chains are discrediting non-fossil cars as electrified road transport booms. Electric vehicles (EVs) have
Claims that electric vehicle batteries are tainted by exploitative mineral supply chains are discrediting non-fossil cars as electrified road transport booms. Electric vehicles (EVs) have been riding an unprecedented wave of popularity in the wake of the global oil crisis sparked by the conflict in the Middle East. In Australia, sales jumped over 150% in April year-on-year, while in the Asia Pacific region they rose 80% for the first three months of 2026 — excluding China, where massive sales growth has plateaued. Around 75% more EVs were sold in Latin America, and almost a third more in Europe, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA executive director Fatih Birol said in May that record EV sales are "providing some relief now amid the largest oil supply shock in history," and that falling battery prices will provide further industry momentum. Still, batteries, by far the most expensive component, also remain a major chink in the electric car armory. EV critics have long argued that electric car batteries, made mostly with lithium-ion, can combust, and that fires are more difficult to extinguish than in petrol cars. But this claim discounts the fact that combustion engines are much more prone to fires. Large, heavy EV batteries have also been targeted as a potential source of increasing road damage. Yet experts counter that large trunks are by far the biggest culprit when it comes to highway wear and tear. Calling out cobalt Once containing critical minerals like cobalt and nickel, EV batteries have also sparked concerns about exploitative supply chains — most especially cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In Australia, a Spotlight prime-time TV news program that aired in March investigated Chinese-owned cobalt mines in DRC. It revealed them as places where thousands of people, including many children, work in terrible conditions amid severe pollution. Citing cobalt as "the key element in practically every storage battery on the planet, from our EVs to our homes," the program said the push for a "clean, green future" of renewables and electric cars comes at a "deadly and devastating cost." But critics say the report failed to mention an important point: EV battery chemistries have largely switched to lithium iron phosphate technology that requires no cobalt. Congo: Land of riches beset by massive exploitation To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video David McElrea, chief executive of Australia's Smart Energy Council, which advocates for renewable energy, questions why the story singled out EV batteries and other renewables technologies when "many other products we use contain cobalt" such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops. Acknowledging"legitimate concerns" about exploitation in extended critical mineral supply chains for renewable energy technologies, McElrea supports investment in domestically produced critical minerals and manufacturing for batteries and solar panels. He says this would improve supply chain transparency and bolster energy independence. The green energy advocate says the EV industry has responded to supply chain concerns and backed innovations that have removed cobalt from most contemporary electric car batteries. EVs can be charged by the sun, but are their batteries really clean? Image: Daniel Reinhardt/IMAGO "Electric vehicle manufacturers have been shifting away from cobalt because it's expensive, toxic and ethically fraught," wrote Neeraj Sharma, professor of chemistry at Australia's University of New South Wales.
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