The mining industry can’t unearth copper quickly enough to keep up with President Joe Biden’s electric vehicle goals, according to a new study.
“A normal Honda Accord needs about 40 pounds of copper. The same battery electric Honda Accord needs almost 200 pounds of copper,” said researcher Adam Simon of the University of Michigan. The “amount of copper needed is essentially impossible for mining companies to produce.”
Simon and Lawrence Cathles of Cornell University analyzed 120 years of global data from copper mining companies to determine how much copper would be required for the country to transition to renewable energy. The study found that the need would exceed what copper mines can produce at the current rate.
“Just to meet business-as-usual trends, 115% more copper must be mined in the next 30 years than has been mined historically until now. To electrify the global vehicle fleet requires bringing into production 55% more new mines than would otherwise be needed,” the study said. “On the other hand, hybrid electric vehicle manufacture would require negligible extra copper mining.”
