Event Date
Capitol Hill Research Briefing
Sustaining EV Transitions: Regulations, Batteries, and Supply Chains
Event Overview
Electrification of the transportation sector has been accelerated by key provisions under the Inflation Reduction Act. The historic investment in electric vehicles (EVs), their lithium-ion battery (LIB) components, and related critical minerals will be crucial for achieving greenhouse gas and air pollution reduction targets in the United States. The rapid growth of the EV market also brings potential environmental and societal impacts, highlighting the need to focus attention on advancing the policies, infrastructure, and technologies required for robust and environmentally sustainable EV supply chains.
In this briefing, researchers from the National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST) provided insight into policies that can help sustain the EV transition, and the implications these policies have for critical minerals, supply chains, the environment, and communities.
Agenda
Lunch was provided at 11:30am EST. The briefing lasted 12:00-1:00pm EST with time at the end for Q&A. Topics covered will include:
- Insights from the latest UC Davis research on light-duty vehicle global trends in terms of vehicle size, efficiency, and EV uptake.
- Policy impacts pertaining to battery warranties and end-of-life management.
- EV and EV battery supply chains including implications for the Inflation Reduction Act and the US-led Mineral Security Partnership.
- Domestic lithium extraction and community and environmental impacts.
Related Research
Reports and publications presented during this research briefing include:
- Cazzola, P.; Paoli, L.; Teter, J. (2023). Trends in the Global Vehicle Fleet 2023: Managing the SUV Shift and the EV Transition. European Transport and Energy Research Centre. UC Davis: Institute of Transportation Studies.
- Ramji, A., & Dayemo, K. (2024). Releasing the Pressure: Understanding Upstream Graphite Value Chains and Implications for Supply Diversification. UC Davis: Institute of Transportation Studies.
- Tyagi, A.; Warrior, D.; Ganesan, K.; Jain, R.; Chandhok, V.; Dasgupta, A., et al. (2023). Addressing Vulnerabilities in the Supply Chain of Critical Minerals. UC Davis: Institute of Transportation Studies.
- Dobson, P.; Araya, N.; Brounce, M.; Busse, M.; Camarillo, M.; English, L.; Humphreys, J., et al. (2023). Characterizing the Geothermal Lithium Resource at the Salton Sea. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States).
- Slattery, M.; Kendall, A.; Helal, N.; Whittaker, M. (2023). What Do Frontline Communities Want to Know about Lithium Extraction? Identifying Research Areas to Support Environmental Justice in Lithium Valley, California. Energy Research & Social Science 99 (May): 103043.
Featured Speakers
Dr. Lewis Fulton has worked internationally in the field of transport/energy/environment analysis and policy development for over 20 years. From 2007-2012 he was a Senior Transport Specialist with the International Energy Agency (IEA), Paris, as well as Division Head for Energy Technology Policy during 2011-2012. He returned to the IEA in 2007 after working there originally from 1999-2005. During 2006-2007 he worked in Kenya with the UN Environment Program, developing and implementing GEF funded sustainable transport projects around the world. During the 1990s he also worked at the US Department of Energy for 4 years and taught at the Independent University of Bangladesh and the University of Maryland.
Dr. Gil Tal focuses his research on electric vehicle policy, travel behavior, and EV supply chain dynamics. His expertise encompasses various segments of the electric vehicle market, including light duty, heavy duty, and transit sectors and studying the impact of incentives and infrastructure in the global electric vehicle market. Looking forward, Dr. Tal’s research delves into the electrification of emerging mobility services and the integration of electric vehicles and automated vehicles in developed economies and the global south, with a keen focus on their significant impacts on the electric grid.
Aditya Ramji is a PhD student at ITS-Davis and an economist focusing on energy, transportation, and electric mobility. He has a specialization in Energy and Development economics. His key areas of work have been energy policy, energy access, transportation and renewable energy, and climate risks. Aditya has had over 10 years of experience across both policy research and private sector, specifically in the automotive industry. At UC Davis, he is leading the California-India ZEV Policy Collaboration Program. His work includes focusing on key policy scenarios for ZEV transitions in both developed and emerging economies.
Margaret (“Meg”) Slattery is a PhD candidate in the Energy Graduate Group at UC Davis and recipient of the 2022 National Center for Sustainable Transportation Student of the Year Award. She studies the supply chain and recycling of electric vehicle batteries to inform decarbonization strategies that are sustainable from a life cycle perspective. She is conducting community-engaged research about lithium extraction in California as an affiliate of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and her work on reuse, recycling, and logistics has been published in peer-reviewed journals as well as reports from the International Energy Agency and California EPA. Prior to attending UC Davis, Meg worked for a small non-profit in Nicaragua called Grupo Fenix from 2015-2018.