The problem with EVs is that, although driving one might involve zero emissions, building one creates more greenhouse gas than making a petrol engine car. In the case of the Polestar 2, for example, manufacturing creates 24 tonnes of CO2 compared with 16.1 tonnes for the similar-sized, petrol-driven Volvo XC40.
The reason we know this is because these figures were shared with us Polestar. Which begs the question, why would an EV measure and release numbers that seem to undermine the ecological point of buying an EV?
The project to create the first zero-carbon car began in 2021 and is still in the research phase: finding partners and developing new methods and techniques. The company is set to start product development in 2027, and Pehrson says the timetable is still on track. At the end of last year it signed a new wave of agreements, including its first with a UK company, Pensana, which mines and refines the rare-earth metals needed for EV batteries.
Pensana plc (LON:PRE) explores and mines neodymium, praseodymium, and rare earth minerals. The Company’s flagship assets are the Saltend rare earth refinery project in the United Kingdom and Longonjo neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) Project in Angola.
