Transport Decarbonisation Researcher Consultant

1. Background Critical raw materials (CRMs) have rapidly moved to the centre of European policymaking . Across policy debates, access to CRMs is increasingly framed as indispensable for achieving climate neutrality, strengthening defence readiness, ensuring industrial competitiveness and advancing strategic autonomy. This framing has intensified political pressure to expand mining activities globally, including in environmentally and socially sensitive areas on land and in the deep sea. At the same time, the dominant policy narrative treats rising material demand and the resulting expansion of mining as largely inevitable. Private transport is among the most resource
- and carbon-intensive systems of modern life. The global car fleet is projected to double by 2040, and the transition to electric mobility is driving a sharp increase in mineral demand. In Europe, the automotive sector is already one of the largest and fastest-growing consumers of CRMs. Passenger cars account for roughly 70% of passenger transport activity, underscoring the central role of the carbased mobility model. Yet, the decarbonisation debate for road transport remains largely confined to electrification
- a technical shift that leaves the car‑centric system structurally unchanged while intensifying material demand. This reflects a broader climate policy bias towards supply‑side solutions. As a result, demand‑side strategies – such as reducing mobility needs, shifting transport modes, redesigning infrastructure and promoting shared and smaller vehicles – remain underdeveloped in EU policy discussions. However, these approaches offer substantial untapped potential to reduce both emissions and material use within the timeframe required to address the climate emergency. Emerging research indicates that Europe's future demand for critical raw materials in road transport is not predetermined, but shaped by policy choices. To address this gap, SOMO and Seas At Risk, as part of the EU Raw Materials Coalition, are commissioning a research report that consolidates and critically assesses existing evidence on reducing mineral demand for personal road transport and, crucially, identifies actionable EU policy pathways for implementation. 2. Purpose of the assignment The purpose of this consultancy is to produce an analytical report that responds to the following questions: To what extent can the decarbonisation of road transport in the EU be achieved with significantly lower demand for battery metals – in particular cobalt, copper, manganese and nickel – under current EU policy frameworks and mobility trends? What are the structural drivers of projected battery‑metal demand in the EU road transport sector , and how are these reinforced or mitigated by existing EU policies? Where do current EU policy frameworks fall short in enabling demand reduction of battery metals in road transport , and what policy gaps or contradictions can be identified? Which concrete EU-level reforms or existing implementation pathways would be required to align road‑transport decarbonisation with substantial reductions in battery‑metal demand , while maintaining climate targets and mobility access? What combinations of demand‑side, modal‑shift, vehicle‑right‑sizing, circularity, and other industrial policy measures would provide the most credible pathway to decarbonise road transport with lower battery‑metal intensity? In responding to these research questions, the study has two blocks of work. 1. Consolidate and critically assess existing evidence on transformative demand‑reduction strategies for road transport in the EU. The consultant will review academic literature, modelling studies, and policy analyses addressing battery‑metal demand‑reduction strategies for road transport in the EU (particularly for passenger car road transport). This work might include reviewing modelling studies that do not necessarily target battery metals, but that can extrapolate demand assumptions for such metals. The consultant should critically assess the assumptions underlying both demand‑reduction scenarios and dominant business‑as‑usual projections, highlighting key uncertainties and the structural drivers of battery demand. The analysis should identify which transformative demand‑side measures show the most robust and consistent potential to reduce CRM demand in the EU across a range of scenarios. As transformative demand‑side measures within this field, we include measures (indicative, not exhaustive) that: Reduce vehicle kilometres travelled, Promotes modal shift to public transport, Expands shared mobility systems, and Strengthens active mobility. The assignment does not require new quantitative modelling. 2. Identify actionable EU policy entry points for 2026–2030. Based on the evidence review, the consultant will identify which EU policy instruments are capable of operationalising the identified transformative strategies within the current EU legislativ