The Western Australian Government, through the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), has just been accepted into one of the International Energy Agency’s Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology Collaboration programmes.
The programme, Critical Raw Materials for Electric Vehicles (CRM4EV), aims to provide current information on raw materials which are considered critical for the ramp-up of electric vehicle sales and to identify supply chain issues.
These critical raw materials include lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements.
Participants in the program will meet to discuss regional and global challenges and will have the opportunity to network with colleagues and experts in the electric vehicle and critical mineral sector.
A series of international workshops will also be held to disseminate results and have findings of CRM4EV debated.
Some other current participants in the program include Germany, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
According to a June 2018 report, The state of electric vehicles in Australia by ClimateWorks Australia for the Electric Vehicle Council, globally, there was a 56 per cent increase in electric vehicle sales volumes from 2016 to 2017, and there are now more than three million electric vehicles on the road.
The report further outlines that in 2017, there were 2,284 electric vehicles sold in Australia, representing a 67 per cent increase from the previous year.
WA Mines and Petroleum Minister, Bill Johnston said collaborating with other countries and their policymakers is important as it shows how the State can assist any potential supply chain issues for raw materials needed to make electric vehicles.
“It’s great that MRIWA has joined this program as it closely aligns with the McGowan Government’s Future Battery Industry Strategy,” he commented this morning.
“Western Australia has all the minerals you need to make batteries and energy technologies, so joining CRM4EV will assist in creating greater opportunities and promoting our State’s capabilities throughout the European Union.”
Extracted from National Resource Review