1kgCO2e for Polestar
The automotive industry like all other industries and humans have a emission budget, which we need to stay within, to avoid exceeding a 1.5°C of warming (67% chance, all according to IPCC).
The remaining global emission budget is estimated by IEA to be approximately 500 GtCO2-equivalent (GtCO2e) before 2050 in order to stay below a 1.5-degree Celsius temperature increase.*
Assuming passenger vehicles maintain an equal share of global emissions (~15 percent, considering total life cycle emissions), this would equate to approximately 75 to 80 Gt of total emissions left for the industry. At the current trajectory this budget will be reached by 2035, which would equate to an overshoot of 75 percent in 2050, based on ICCT optimistic projections (our baseline case)—or larger when applying conservative assumptions.
Polestar together with Rivian and Kearney have made this report and roadmap on how to tackle the carbon budget in the automotive industry. Three levers, identified in the Pathway report, need to be pulled to keep us within the carbon budget. Replacing all fossil fuel-powered cars with EVs by 2032 is the first lever. The second; Ensuring that all power grids run on 100% renewable energy by 2033. And the third, the focus of this exhibition, lower emissions from production, where materials play an outstanding part.
Knowing what is emitting in your daily life or in your industry is the key to start lowering your emission. Compered to fossil cars that emit most when driving a EV emit most during production. In the circle diagram to the left you really can see that material play the biggest part. The user phase part is only 2% do to that the car is charged with electricity from wind power. On page 13 and on podium three you can get more information about the LCA.
The material choices we make as an industry typically accounts for around 70-90% of the carbon footprint, depending what you charge with. Material choices do matter. This is why we have focus on materials, you can see how much of different materials you get for 1 kg of CO2 (green house gases)? In the diagram to the right you can see what materials goes in to a Polestar 4.