Raw material use in a battery electric car - a thermodynamic rarity assessment

•Around 50 metals are contained in both the ICEV and the BEV.•The BEV contains 50% more metal than the ICEV in terms of mass.•The BEV represents between 2.5 and 4 times the metal thermodynamic rarity of the ICEV.•The metals’ thermodynamic rarity of the BEV decreases with the evolution of the battery.•Identification of the most exergy intensive parts within the BEV.