The age of the electric car is upon us. Electric motor vehicles (EMVs) are taking over roads worldwide, and their international success led by companies such as Tesla will soon be replicated across Africa.
As of November 2021, six automakers and 30 countries have already signed a United Nations pledge to end sales of gas and diesel-powered cars worldwide by 2040. This includes Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Land Rover, and 24 fleet operators including Uber.
So what does Pure Trade Africa have to do with the Electric Vehicle Revolution?
The journey to African streets being filled with quieter, more environmentally-friendly vehicles starts with responsibly sourced materials that are crucial for these vehicles’ power systems. In the coming decades, hundreds of millions of vehicles will hit the roads carrying larger rechargeable electric-vehicle batteries (EVBs) inside their engines. Each of these large EVBs will contain several kilograms of materials that have yet to be mined. This is where Pure Trade Africa comes in. We supply different chemicals needed for these operations, driving innovation in the processes that put the next generation of cars onto our roads.
Chemicals and the EMV Supply Chain
In the EMV supply chain, raw materials extraction such as metals, metal ores, and chemical elements is essential for many of the automotive applications found in modern cars. Once extracted and refined, these materials are then supplied to relevant buyers for the build and production of their diverse products that are required for vehicle assembly. This includes producing iron, lube oils, and other working fluids, coatings, dashboard plastics, synthetic fibres for seats and tyre rubbers. Lithium-ion batteries, the most common battery types used in electric vehicles, are built with carbon or graphite, metal oxide, nickel, manganese and lithium salt. The chemicals that Pure Trade Africa supplies are used in the extraction of the aforementioned raw materials needed to build vehicle bodies, engines, and lithium-ion batteries.
The impact on global demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to be enormous, reaching 1,748 gigawatt-hours (GWh) by 2030 from about 220 GWh in 2019.[1] Alongside these batteries, the need for electric traction motors will increase rapidly over the next decade, not just from vehicle sales but due to the rise in heavy-duty vehicles requiring more than one motor.
With everything said, companies in the automotive industry, from suppliers to manufacturers, must adapt and ensure a smooth pivot to electric motor vehicles, which Pure Trade Africa is committed to supporting through Chemical Sourcing, as well as Integrated Storage & Logistics, Clearing & Forwarding, and Consulting services.
[1] https://www.ey.com/en_gl/advanced-manufacturing/how-the-balance-of-power-will-change-the-chemistry-of-an-ev-future