Proceedings of ICLT 2023
SUSTAINABILITY OF SUPPLY CHAINS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Fernandez; Thomas E.; Kalniev; M.
University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thailand; University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thailand; University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thailand; University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thailand
International Conference on Logistics & Transport 2023, Helsinki, Finland, pp. 216-224
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Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the sustainability of chain chains for electric vehicles (EVs). Design/methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper. Academic literature and – due to the novelty of the product evaluated – articles from reputed journalistic sources are analysed. Findings: While EVs hardly pollute the air during operation, they are advertised as environmentally friendly and ethically desirable. However, there are still problems to be solved in the supply chain, from the origin of raw materials (mining of cobalt and of rare earths) to the reuse and recycle steps. The three P’s of sustainability are People (society), Planet (environment) and Profit (companies need to make profit, otherwise they cannot exist much longer and are therefore not sustainable), and problems with all three have been found. Research limitations/implications: Companies tend to be tight-lipped about sustainability problems in their EV supply chains, because “being environmentally friendly” is their main marketing strategy, so the reliability of some sources is questionable. The author tries to compensate this by using sources from different sides of the opinion spectrum. Futhermore, this research is limited to battery-electric passenger cars (BEV), not plug-in hybrids (PHEV), hybrids, or hydrogen-powered vehicles. Practical implications: Awareness of sustainability problems in the EV supply chains should be improved, so that companies and governments invest more into new technologies to improve the production in terms of societal and environmental impact, which the added benefit of increasing profits for the companies. Originality/value: Improvement of sustainability will improve the value of EVs to the three P’s, from which society at large, the environment and lastly also the producers of EVs will benefit.
Keywords
Sustainability; supply chains; electric vehicles
Citation
Fernandez; Thomas E.; Kalniev; M. (2023). SUSTAINABILITY OF SUPPLY CHAINS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES. Proceedings of the International Conference on Logistics & Transport (ICLT 2023), Helsinki, Finland, pp. 216-224.