Developing a Methodological Framework for Assessing Absolute Sustainability in Battery Upscaling within Planetary Boundaries

Abstract

The electrification of transportation has accelerated greatly in recent years with the support of policymakers. However, this transformation raises the crucial question of the sustainability of such a change. In parallel, the concept of Planetary Boundaries has recently emerged as a framework for quantifying the human pressure on the Earth System. A real interest in applying the Life Cycle Assessment methodology in relation with the Planetary Boundary framework is growing to evaluate the absolute sustainability of products or services. In fact, this could be an opportunity to establish sustainable thresholds for each technology that should not be exceeded. This paper aims to develop a methodology for evaluating the absolute sustainability of the deployment of batteries in the context of the electrification of the French private car fleet. Several sharing principles are used for assigning a Share of the Safe Operating Space, and a prospective LCA is conducted based on different de-carbonization pathways. As a result, this work will provide insights into the development of a go/no-go strategy for the ecodesign and the upscaling of the electric batteries in a prospective perspective.