Assuaging concerns over the traceability of extracted material, Volvo Cars said it will use blockchain technology to trace the origin of cobalt used in its batteries in an effort to avoid supplies produced under unethical conditions. The company has revealed its first fully electric car, the XC40 Recharge, in October. The blue metallic element, also categorised as conflict mineral, is used in significant quantities to make lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars, but half the world’s supply of it comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-torn land in which forced labour and child labour is common. While ... (full story)