Abstract
Lithium-ion battery packs inside electric vehicles represents a high share of the final price. Nevertheless, with technology advances and the growth of the market, the price of the battery is getting more competitive. The greenhouse gas emissions and the battery cost have been studied previously, but coherent boundaries between environmental and economic assessments are needed to assess the eco-efficiency of batteries. In this research, a detailed study is presented, providing an environmental and economic assessment of the manufacturing of one specific lithium-ion battery chemistry. The relevance of parameters is pointed out, including the manufacturing place, the production volume, the commodity prices, and the energy density. The inventory is obtained by dismantling commercial cells. The correlation between the battery cost and the commodity price is much lower than the correlation between the battery cost and the production volume. The developed life cycle assessment concludes that the electricity mix that is used to power the battery factory is a key parameter for the impact of the battery manufacturing on climate change. To improve the battery manufacturing eco-efficiency, a high production capacity and an electricity mix with low carbon intensity are suggested. Optimizing the process by reducing the electricity consumption during the manufacturing is also suggested, and combined with higher pack energy density, the impact on climate change of the pack manufacturing is as low as 39.5 kg CO2 eq/kWh.
Highlights
Up to now, more than four million electric vehicles (EVs) have been sold [1].China in particular is pushing electric mobility, resulting in a fast growth of the market
Recent studies have shown that the share of the battery cost inside an EV application is projected to decrease from almost half of the cost of the vehicle in 2016 to less than 20% in 2030 [3]
The main goal of this paper is to study the eco-efficiency of the manufacturing of a battery pack for EVs today and find ways to improve it
Summary
More than four million EVs (electric vehicles) have been sold (cumulative sales) [1]. China in particular is pushing electric mobility, resulting in a fast growth of the market. Since the beginning of its commercialization, the cost of a battery has been gradually decreasing [2]. Recent studies have shown that the share of the battery cost inside an EV application is projected to decrease from almost half of the cost of the vehicle in 2016 to less than 20% in 2030 [3]. The introduction of EVs on the market is raising questions regarding the battery cost and its impact on CC (climate change) [2,4]. Battery cost should decrease below 100 $/kWh for BEVs (battery electric vehicles) to be cost-competitive with ICEVs (internal combustion engine vehicles) [3]
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