IEA at COP26: Developing a sustainable battery industry that can deliver on climate ambitions

The IEA’s latest Global Electric Vehicle’s Outlook projects over 120 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 if stated government policies are implemented, translating to annual battery demand of 1.6 TWh. But for the world to be on a net-zero by 2050 pathway, over 6.5 TWh are needed by 2030. Therefore, decarbonising road transport calls for a battery manufacturing industry and related supply chains to expand very rapidly to supply millions of electric vehicles. This is not a simple task, and requires addressing several challenges, many of which can be best addressed by international cooperation. For instance, accelerated technological innovation is needed to make electrification viable across all road transport modes, and a reliable and sustainable battery supply chain must be developed even while satisfying rapidly growing demand. This event gathers governments from across the world to showcase their domestic strategies and their visions for the global battery industry. The objective of this event is to provide a platform for discussion on the role of governments to accelerate the development of a sustainable battery industry that lives up to these challenges; and to highlight the importance of international cooperation in this global challenge.