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The strong SUV market is leading to higher demand for oil today, and could make future carbon dioxide (CO2) emission targets more difficult to achieve, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
New IEA analysis finds that global CO2 emissions from SUVs will reach nearly 1.1 billion tonnes by 2022, overshadowing increased sales of electric cars.
SUVs are also driving increased oil consumption, according to the analysis. The IEA says oil use in conventional cars, excluding SUVs, will remain roughly the same between 2021 and 2022. But during that period, SUV-related oil consumption rose by 500,000 bpd, accounting for a third of total oil demand growth. , according to the IEA.
2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E
Electric SUVs aren’t helping, the agency points out, noting they generally require larger battery packs, which in turn increases raw material requirements.
Addressing these risks in advance can be done through a number of actions: reducing the average car size; improve battery exchange; and investing in innovative battery technologies,” said the IEA statement. “The strategy will continue to examine investment requirements to develop the cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel resources needed to meet the increasing use of EVs.”
Not all modern SUVs are the fuel eaters that once dominated the category, but the added weight and poorer aerodynamics compared to sedans, hatchbacks and wagons hurt efficiency. SUVs were the second biggest contributor to increased CO2 in the 2010s, a 2019 report found.
2023 Nio EC7
There are, however, a few SUVs the company has emphasized that efficiency is a priority—the Lucid Gravity, for example, and the Nio EC7. And not all auto industry executives believe the current SUV hegemony will last forever. Citroën’s CEO seems to think that the switch to EVs will kill SUVs.
In the US, some regulatory changes will be required for that to happen. The federal government continues to provide incentives to automakers to produce more SUVs—both in its Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations, and in the incentives it provides electric vehicle buyers.
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