Business Critical report analysing electric vehicle lifecycle launched at Westminster 

• High profile Westminster launch event attended by key stakeholders 
• Insight into how the sector needs to transition its product lifecycle thinking if it is going to deliver net zero  
• Value chain addresses how the automotive sector can build a more circular and resilient supply chain for batteries 
• Highlights the opportunity for the UK to retain the value of recycled material with suggested recommendations and next steps 
• Current and upcoming regulation driving the supply chain to think about access to critical materials contained within batteries 

Key representatives from the automotive and critical materials industry, together with parliamentarians, and civil servants attended a launch event held last week at Westminster introducing a business critical report setting out key actions required by the UK’s automotive industry and its supply chain to transition the approach to electric vehicle product lifecycle, supporting the industry in delivering net zero targets.  

The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) has produced the ‘Business critical: Understanding the material life cycle’ report to provide a detailed overview of the next steps required within the automotive industry, recommending a collaborative and partnership approach to share best practice and help implement upcoming regulation. 

Over the last few decades, the automotive sector has worked to understand the vehicle emissions at the tailpipe, but this new report moves the sector forward towards a plan for recycling, repurposing, and re-use of components and materials within electric vehicles. 

The report has four key recommendations for industry to adopt and take forward: 

1. Supply chain collaboration to implement Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), prepare for future regulations, and agree standards and method.  

2. Support smaller businesses with LCA skills  

3. Recycling and Re-use regulation and permitting review 

4. Education on emissions from raw materials versus recycled materials to aid decision-making on investment 

Dr Chris Jones, Strategic Trends Manger at APC, explains:

“The first section of the report looks at what life cycle analysis means for the sector, highlighting some of the challenges that will need to be overcome. This will require businesses to apply common frameworks and tools which can help decisions to be made on material selection internationally. The second section of the report focusses on the challenge around batteries, the highest value system within an electric vehicle, and introduces the regulations that are being implemented and where the recycling opportunities are for the UK. The final section of this report looks at this value chain to address how the sector can build a more circular and resilient supply chain for batteries. The time is now to think and plan. We have time to get this right and if we do, it poses a real opportunity for UK automotive manufacturers to lead the way.”