Mining the Materials for My Tesla Model Y Battery Is Good for the Planet

Let’s start with one wildly underreported fact. In addition to the gasoline that they burn, internal combustion engine cars use about the same amount of electricity as electric vehicles. 

How can this be true? Well, it requires electricity, and a lot of it, to pump crude oil out of the ground, pump it through distribution pipes, process it into gasoline, and then transport that gasoline to be sold. Look at any refinery, they are lit up like Las Vegas, and the lights are the least of the energy hogs. Refineries require equipment like pumps, heaters, and control systems that require huge amounts of electricity. All said, a conservative estimate is that it takes about 5 kWh of electricity to produce a gallon of gasoline. 

Given this reality, it makes us wonder why we don’t just bypass the gas production process and simply put the electricity directly into electric vehicles. It would be much cheaper per mile driven and we could avoid the toxic gasses produced by burning gasoline.

Before we move on from petroleum to mining, let’s quantify the amount crude oil that needs to be extracted to power the typical car for its lifetime. It’s widely agreed, that the typical gas-powered car or pickup truck will last at least 200,000 miles. Average gas mileage in the U.S. is 28 MPG. This means that the average gas-powered vehicle will use more than 7,142 gallons of gas, or more than 42,000 pounds of it.

Wrapping up the crude oil needs, U.S. refineries typically produce about 19 gallons of gasoline from a standard 42-gallon barrel of crude oil. That means that we must extract over 14,990 gallons of crude oil from the earth to power the typical gas-powered car over its 200,000-mile life. This is over 105,000 pounds of crude oil.

Wait, there’s another really good reason to bypass the gas and put the electricity directly into EVs. According to the EPA, a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year while driving close to eleven thousand miles. This means that while using roughly the same amount of electricity as an EV, a gasoline powered vehicle is also releasing tons of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Let’s Dig into the Mining

The most commonly used battery chemistry in U.S. electric vehicles is lithium-ion. The battery has two major metal components, the cathode and the anode. The most common cathode makeup is called “NMC-811”. An NMC-811 battery uses a lithium-ion cathode with a specific ratio of Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt in its material, represented as 8:1:1, meaning 80% nickel, 10% manganese, and 10% cobalt. Manganese and cobalt have to be mined. Lithium can be produced at industrial scale by either evaporating salt water or mining. After they are sourced, all three metals can be recycled indefinitely. The battery anode is typically made from a graphite and silicon. Both are available with relatively little environmental impact. 

According to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) a typical 75 kWh EV battery will contain the following amounts of nickel, cobalt and lithium:

•         Nickel ≈ 108 lbs

•         Cobalt ≈ 13 lbs

•         Lithium ≈ 16.5 lbs

The remaining battery weight is made up from materials like aluminum and steel for the casing and small amounts of non-recyclable materials like plastic. 

The Big Comparison

All said and done, the typical 75 kWh EV battery has around 80 – 150 pounds of mined metals that can power the vehicle for its 200,000-mile life. At the end of the vehicle’s life, the battery can be recycled to recover the mined metals and reused indefinitely. This is compared to the more than 42,000 pounds of crude oil consumed for the same 200,000-mile life. The difference in environmental damage is incalculable. 

Recycling EV Batteries

As more EVs hit the road, questions about what happens to their batteries at the end of their life are becoming more important. Recycling EV batteries prevents valuable resources from being wasted and ensures hazardous materials are handled responsibly. It reduces environmental harm while supporting safer disposal practices. This growing industry reflects innovation, cooperation, and a shared commitment to building a cleaner future that affects everyone.

As discussed, EV batteries contain expensive materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel. These metals are finite and often environmentally costly to extract. Recycling helps reduce dependence on mining and lowers the overall environmental impact of battery production, making the entire EV ecosystem more sustainable.

Automotive and recycling companies like Li-Cycle and Redwood Materials are working together to develop commercially viable solutions that can efficiently recover key materials such lithium, manganese, and cobalt. Both use hydrometallurgical processes to dissolve and recover roughly 90 to 95 percent of lithium, nickel, and cobalt for reuse in new batteries.

Li-Cycle uses a hub and spoke model where local “spoke” facilities shred end-of-life EV batteries into a powder called black mass, rich in metals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt, then sends that black mass to centralized “hub” facilities for further refinement. They have a partnership with Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) for recycling end-of-life EV batteries.

Redwood Materials employs a vertically integrated, closed-loop system that integrates the entire process from collection to material production within its facilities. They have a national logistics network and partnerships with automakers like Ford, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Its facilities are co-located near existing and emerging battery gigafactories (e.g., in Nevada and South Carolina) to minimize logistics costs and shipping times, creating a tight, efficient, domestic supply chain.

Bottom Line

We aren’t going to stop extraction in the form of mining and drilling anytime soon. However, if we do extract, we should minimize environmental impact by extracting materials that are reusable and not consumable. As we discussed, the metals mined for EV batteries can be recycled at a rate greater than 90% which greatly reduces our need to mine for more. Gasoline, on the other hand, is gone once it is burned from a car’s gas tank, forcing us to repeat environmental damage over and over again. 

The Tesla Model Y

The Tesla Model Y is a popular electric SUV that stands out for its strong range, quick acceleration, roomy interior, and seamless integration with Tesla’s Supercharger network. It was first launched in 2020 and has become one of the world’s best-selling EVs thanks to its blend of practicality and innovative technology, including Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems. The refreshed version arrived in 2025 with upgraded features and improved comfort and efficiency. Typical prices vary by trim, starting around $40,000 to $60,000 or more, depending on version and options. The Model Y is sold as a five-seat crossover, with versions like Standard, Long Range, and Performance, offering a range of choices for buyers looking for efficiency, comfort, or sportier performance.

What Do You Think?

When you compare the lifetime oil consumption of a gas car to the mined materials in a Tesla Model Y battery, which impact surprises you more and why?

Did you realize gasoline production uses roughly the same amount of electricity as driving an EV?

Chris Johnston is the author of SAE’s comprehensive book on electric vehicles, "The Arrival of The Electric Car." His coverage on Torque News focuses on electric vehicles. Chris has decades of product management experience in telematics, mobile computing, and wireless communications. Chris has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA. He lives in Seattle. When not working, Chris enjoys restoring classic wooden boats, open water swimming, cycling and flying (as a private pilot). You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn and follow his work on X at ChrisJohnstonEV.

Photo credit: Provided by author