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<p>The transport sector<!--Query ID="Q1" Text="Please check and confirm if the authors and affiliations have been correctly capture." Resolved="yes"--> is one of the significant fossil energy consumers and contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. In the decarbonization of the transportation sector, moving to electric vehicles will play a prominent role. Therefore, the demand growth for electric vehicles is expected to increase rapidly, escalating the demand for critical minerals required for electric vehicle battery and motor production. However, due to several limitations in the existing mineral production, there can be imbalances between supply and demand in the future, which could challenge supply security and cleaner energy transitions. To address this, many potential unconventional resources have been suggested in the literature. This paper examines these resources through a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis covering techno-economic, socio-political, and environmental dimensions. The results indicate that resources such as waste materials, industrial by-products, and end-of-life products (batteries and permanent magnets) offer strong opportunities for circular economy practices and reduced environmental impacts. However, challenges remain, including scalability issues, high energy requirements in some recovery methods, regulatory uncertainty, and potential ecosystem disruptions. International cooperation, technology development, and policy incentives emerge as critical opportunities to strengthen future supply security. A decision-making roadmap is proposed to select optimal and sustainable combinations of alternative mineral resources that meet expected demand, utilizing these findings. This analysis supports the long-term sustainability and security of the critical mineral supply chain for the rapidly growing electric vehicle industry while contributing to the development of more sustainable and low-carbon transportation systems.</p>

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Unconventional Critical Mineral Resources for Growing Electric Vehicle Industry: Sustainability SWOT Analysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月27日

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  • Sandali Walgama,
  • Kasun Hewage,
  • Syed Asad Hussain,
  • Rehan Sadiq

摘要

The transport sector is one of the significant fossil energy consumers and contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. In the decarbonization of the transportation sector, moving to electric vehicles will play a prominent role. Therefore, the demand growth for electric vehicles is expected to increase rapidly, escalating the demand for critical minerals required for electric vehicle battery and motor production. However, due to several limitations in the existing mineral production, there can be imbalances between supply and demand in the future, which could challenge supply security and cleaner energy transitions. To address this, many potential unconventional resources have been suggested in the literature. This paper examines these resources through a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis covering techno-economic, socio-political, and environmental dimensions. The results indicate that resources such as waste materials, industrial by-products, and end-of-life products (batteries and permanent magnets) offer strong opportunities for circular economy practices and reduced environmental impacts. However, challenges remain, including scalability issues, high energy requirements in some recovery methods, regulatory uncertainty, and potential ecosystem disruptions. International cooperation, technology development, and policy incentives emerge as critical opportunities to strengthen future supply security. A decision-making roadmap is proposed to select optimal and sustainable combinations of alternative mineral resources that meet expected demand, utilizing these findings. This analysis supports the long-term sustainability and security of the critical mineral supply chain for the rapidly growing electric vehicle industry while contributing to the development of more sustainable and low-carbon transportation systems.