Polestar and Rivian initiate report that shows car industry to overshoot IPCC 1.5-degree target by more than 75% without urgent action
The “Pathway Report”, commissioned by electric vehicle pioneers Polestar and Rivian and prepared by global consultancy Kearney, concludes that the automotive industry will exceed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 1.5-degree pathway by at least 75 per cent by 2050.
Despite the gloomy outlook, the report points to a solution. The automotive industry still has a chance to get on the right path, it says. According to the Pathway Report, the data suggests a pathway based on three key levers. Lever 1 deals with the speed at which internal combustion vehicles need to be replaced by electric cars, but points out that this alone will be far from sufficient. Levers 2 and 3 require much more effort, such as expanding renewable energy in power grids and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing supply chain.
Joint action by car manufacturers at the global level on all three parameters at the same time is needed, he said. First, the industry needs to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles by investing in production capacity and setting a firm date for the end of global sales of fossil fuel cars. Second, the supply of renewable energy to global electricity grids must be expanded so that electric cars can reach their full potential through environmentally friendly charging. Third, the supply chains for these vehicles must be decarbonised by switching to low-carbon materials and investing in renewable energy solutions. https://media.polestar.com
