Every electric car starts underground. Inside its battery are lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese, dug out of the earth thousands of kilometres from Europe’s roads. As the continent swaps petrol for plugs, the hunger for these metals is growing fast. Brussels has a plan to feed it: mine more at home, strike deals abroad and build up stockpiles. What gets far less attention is the number at the top of the shopping list. How much do we actually need? Part of the answer is parked on our streets. In 2010, about one in ten new cars sold in Europe was a heavy SUV. By 2023, it was more than one in two. Bigger cars need bigger batteries, and bigger batteries need more metal. For a handful of carmakers, that means bigger profit margins, too. Meanwhile, the price is paid far from the showroom. In Argentina, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, mining communities face drained wetlands, polluted water and growing pressure on Indigenous rights. So is demand something we simply have to meet, or something we can choose to shape?
