As use of electric vehicles becomes more widespread , the impact of mining the metals required is becoming increasingly apparent . The material is predominately mined in Australia , Canada , Europe , Europe and the Philippines . The process of mining nickel - rich ores generates significant amounts of waste material , such as nickel and significant amounts of dust , including copper , nickel and chromium .
As adoption of electric vehicles becomes more widespread, the impact of mining the materials required is becoming increasingly apparent. The material is predominately mined in Australia, Canada, Russia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The process of mining nickel-rich ores generates significant amounts of waste material, such as slag and significant amounts of dust, containing copper, cobalt and chromium.