Sustainability Newsletter – February 2025

Globally, 2025 has not got off to a great start for those concerned with sustainability off the back of Donald Trump’s inauguration and subsequent withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, coupled with his pledge to drill for more oil.
There’s more promising news closer to home, though, and the UK’s domestic EV industry has got off to a cracking start with an injection of cash from the National Wealth Fund. To that end Connected Kerb and Cornish Metals have both benefited from millions of pounds’ worth of investment in the past month, according to Edie, the sustainability website.

Connected Kerb, which should become the UK’s largest supplier of charging points this year, aims to install another 31,000 points before 2030, and is receiving £55m of investment. Cornish Metals, meanwhile (not to be confused with Cornish Lithium), plans to use its funding of £28m to re-open up a major tin mine. Tin is used in semi-conductors and energy storage, and is part of the supply chain of raw materials needed for electric cars.
The future of hydrogen as a power source for cars meanwhile looks more doubtful by the day. Toyota sold just 1,778 fuel-cell electric vehicles in 2024, a 55 per cent drop on the previous year, according to Hydrogen Insight. Most of the drop in sales came from markets beyond Japan. Toyota has already announced that it has ceased sales of the Mirai car, while it concentrates its efforts on hydrogen use in heavy commercial vehicles, where it continues to make sense as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Back in matters American Elon Musk’s role in the new Trump administration might be good news for him but it has not been such great news for his company. Tesla sales in Europe have dropped sharply in the past month - by 59 per cent in Germany alone - as the backlash against Musk’s public statements continues. The astonishing fall in sales means Tesla’s market share in Germany has dropped from 14 per cent to 4 per cent. In France, Tesla sales fell even more and by 63 per compared with the same month last year, according to the Financial Times and in Norway they fell 38 per cent. In Britain, registrations fell by just eight per cent.
For electric car buyers perhaps turning away from Tesla and back to ‘legacy’ brands Audi has changed its mind on its naming convention for its battery powered models, dropping plans to have odd numbers signifying petrol cars and even numbers electric cars. Instead, it’s returning to its original plan of numbers referring to model size, preceded by ‘A’ for saloons and coupes, and ‘Q’ for SUVs, with ‘e-tron’ for EV and TFSI/TDI for petrol/diesel. Alles klar? Gut!

• Sustainability newsletter – January 2025 | 2025 looks set to be the year of the affordable EV
• Sustainability newsletter – December 2024 | Cornish Lithium’s UK sourced raw materials for electric car batteries and its wider role in carbon reduction • Sustainability newsletter – November 2024 | The Autumn Budget, sales of electric vehicles, sustainable materials and planning for the future • Sustainability newsletter – October 2024 | Industry asks government to make EVs more affordable in name of Net Zero and how sustainability works as a selling point • Sustainability newsletter – September 2024 | Road charging for electric cars, UK’s car manufacturers clean up their act and VW explores hemp-based bio interiors • Sustainability newsletter – August 2024 | Is stimulating electric car sales ‘green’ and how improved charging infrastructure is helping with the great summer getaway • Sustainability newsletter – July 2024 | Hidden carbon cost of tech, Volvo pushes for more recycled plastics and Renault secures greener supply chain for EV batteries • Sustainability newsletter – June 2024 | Farewell chrome plating, bravo for Renault’s recycled interiors and a cheer for the … circular economy for recycled tyres • Sustainability newsletter – May 2024 | Lithium is key in the production of electric car batteries, but where does it all come from and at what cost? • Sustainability newsletter – March 2024 | The importance of renewable energy in making sure electric cars really are the green choice, and one Dutch couple’s mission to prove it! • Sustainability newsletter – January 2024 | French act on heavy SUVs and embedded CO2 of imported electric cars, BYD plans European factory and Nio opens battery swapping centres • Sustainability newsletter – December 2024 | Vauxhall electrifies Britain’s streets, a second life for electric car batteries and recycled Alcantara seat fabric combines luxury and sustainability • Sustainability newsletter – November 2023 | Costs for EV batteries fall, funding for UK-sourced lithium project, GM goes renewable and Lynk & Co commits to life cycle CO2 audits • Sustainability newsletter – October 2023 | Costs for EV batteries fall, funding for UK-sourced lithium project, GM goes renewable and Lynk & Co commits to life cycle CO2 audits • Sustainability newsletter – September 2023 | Erin Baker shares her thoughts on the UK's changing net zero targets and delaying the 2030 ban for new petrol and diesel cars. • Sustainability newsletter – August 2023 | Zapmap reports increased charger installations, Lime's e-mobility revolution and Nissan's autonomous driving • Sustainability newsletter – July 2023 | Public charging network expands, hydrogen back on the agenda and choosing green tyres • Sustainability newsletter – June 2023 | BMW helps electrify the UK’s national parks and Kia ditches leather across its range of cars • Sustainability newsletter – May 2023 | What upholstery will you be choosing for your next car - leather or pleather? • Sustainability newsletter – April 2023 | Polestar’s ‘moonshot’ for a zero emissions car and a look into synthetic fuels as a possible lifeline for internal combustion classics • Sustainability newsletter – February 2023 | Our regular sustainability round-up continues with a look at some new recycled materials this month, all of which could be in your car soon • Sustainability newsletter – January 2023 | Eco awareness is driving more and more car buying decisions for a variety of reasons -here we celebrate those doing it right!