Why do electric vehicle batteries drive deep-sea mining demand?

The growing demand for electric vehicle batteries has intensified the search for critical metals like copper, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. These elements are abundantly found in polymetallic nodules on the deep ocean floor, positioning seabed extraction as a potential alternative to terrestrial reserves. However, this emerging industry faces intense scrutiny over its environmental impacts and regulatory hurdles.

What we know

• Electric vehicle batteries and battery technologies rely on many of the deep-sea metals that incentivize seabed mineral extraction. [2]
• Polymetallic nodules found on the deep ocean floor contain essential minerals such as copper, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. [2]
• The global ocean floor is estimated to hold over 120 million tons of cobalt, which is five times the amount found in terrestrial reserves. [2]
• As of July 2024, only exploratory licenses have been issued by the International Seabed Authority, with no commercial-scale operations yet. [2]
• Technological progress in electric vehicle batteries has helped make electric cars feasible and cost-efficient during the 21st century. [5]

Still open

• The exact severity and long-term reach of midwater mining plumes and bottom-up ecosystem impacts remain controversial.

Where to go next

• how it workedHow do deep-sea mining extraction technologies operate?
• what followedWhat are the environmental consequences of seabed mining?
• the bigger pictureWhat role does the International Seabed Authority play?
• a case in pointHow does Norway approach deep-sea mining in its waters?
• compared withHow did lithium-ion batteries transform the automotive industry?
• an unexpected connectionHow do steel manufacturing and wind farms share a resource pool with electric vehicles?Though electric vehicle batteries drive much of the recent policy urgency, the deep-sea metals targeted by mining projects are also heavily used in the steel industry, wind farms, and solar energy.

Sources

• [1]deep sea mining (Wikidata Q939183) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Deep sea mining · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Battery electric vehicle · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]BYD Auto · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Electric vehicle · CC BY-SA 4.0