scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Electric Vehicle Batteries: An Overview of Recent Literature

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Temporelli ◽  
Maria Leonor Carvalho ◽  
Pierpaolo Girardi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Hybrid Vehicles ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Battery Capacity ◽  
Automotive Batteries ◽  
Use Phase

In electric and hybrid vehicles Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), batteries play a central role and are in the spotlight of scientific community and public opinion. Automotive batteries constitute, together with the powertrain, the main differences between electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles. For this reason, many decision makers and researchers wondered whether energy and environmental impacts from batteries production, can exceed the benefits generated during the vehicle’s use phase. In this framework, the purpose of the present literature review is to understand how large and variable the main impacts are due to automotive batteries’ life cycle, with particular attention to climate change impacts, and to support researchers with some methodological suggestions in the field of automotive batteries’ LCA. The results show that there is high variability in environmental impact assessment; CO2eq emissions per kWh of battery capacity range from 50 to 313 g CO2eq/kWh. Nevertheless, either using the lower or upper bounds of this range, electric vehicles result less carbon-intensive in their life cycle than corresponding diesel or petrol vehicles.

scholarly journals Quest for Sustainability: Life-Cycle Emissions Assessment of Electric Vehicles Considering Newer Li-Ion Batteries

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arminda Almeida ◽  
Nuno Sousa ◽  
João Coutinho-Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Sustainable Transportation ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Battery Capacity ◽  
Li Ion ◽  
The Impact

The number of battery electric vehicle models available in the market has been increasing, as well as their battery capacity, and these trends are likely to continue in the future as sustainable transportation goals rise in importance, supported by advances in battery chemistry and technology. Given the rapid pace of these advances, the impact of new chemistries, e.g., lithium-manganese rich cathode materials and silicon/graphite anodes, has not yet been thoroughly considered in the literature. This research estimates life cycle greenhouse gas and other air pollutants emissions of battery electric vehicles with different battery chemistries, including the above advances. The analysis methodology, which uses the greenhouse gases, regulated emissions, and energy use in transportation (GREET) life-cycle assessment model, considers 8 battery types, 13 electricity generation mixes with different predominant primary energy sources, and 4 vehicle segments (small, medium, large, and sport utility vehicles), represented by prototype vehicles, with both battery replacement and non-replacement during the life cycle. Outputs are expressed as emissions ratios to the equivalent petrol internal combustion engine vehicle and two-way analysis of variance is used to test results for statistical significance. Results show that newer Li-ion battery technology can yield significant improvements over older battery chemistries, which can be as high as 60% emissions reduction, depending on pollutant type and electricity generation mix.

scholarly journals Comparative environmental impacts of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles with Hybrid Vehicles and Electric Vehicles in China—Based on Life Cycle Assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 02010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ningning Ha
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Internal Combustion Engine ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Internal Combustion ◽  
Hybrid Vehicles ◽  
Comparison Results ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

In China, the growth of new energy vehicles is especially rapid and the explosive growth of the automobile brought an increasing impact on the environment. This paper selected Electric Vehicles, Hybrid Vehicles and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles of the same model of BYD as the object. We established a Life Cycle Assessment with GaBi6 software and CML2001 model. The results show that in the whole life cycle, the influences of ADP, GWP and ODP of Electric Vehicles are less than that of Hybrid Vehicles and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles. The impact of Electric Vehicles are 39%, 50%, and 4% of the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles and the Hybrid Vehicles’ impact are 65%, 78% and 85% of the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles. Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Vehicles have a clear improvement in these three types of impacts. The comparison results of AP, EP, FAETP, MAETP and POCP show that the potential impact of Electric Vehicles is greater than that of Hybrid Vehicles and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles. At present, improving production technology and reducing the consumption of energy during production phase are effective measures to reduce the environmental impact of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles and Hybrid Vehicles of China.

scholarly journals Design of Eco-Efficient Body Parts for Electric Vehicles Considering Life Cycle Environmental Information

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5838
Author(s):  
Lars Reimer ◽  
Alexander Kaluza ◽  
Felipe Cerdas ◽  
Jens Meschke ◽  
Thomas Vietor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Torsional Stiffness ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Electricity Mix ◽  
Use Phase ◽  
Structural Parts

The reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the entire life cycle of vehicles has become part of the strategic objectives in automotive industry. In this regard, the design of future body parts should be carried out based on information of life cycle GHG emissions. The substitution of steel towards lightweight materials is a major trend, with the industry undergoing a fundamental shift towards the introduction of electric vehicles (EV). The present research aims to support the conceptual design of body parts with a combined perspective on mechanical performance and life cycle GHG emissions. Particular attention is paid to the fact that the GHG impact of EV in the use phase depends on vehicle-specific factors that may not be specified at the conceptual design stage of components, such as the market-specific electricity mix used for vehicle charging. A methodology is proposed that combines a simplified numerical design of concept alternatives and an analytic approach estimating life cycle GHG emissions. It is applied to a case study in body part design based on a set of principal geometries and load cases, a range of materials (aluminum, glass and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP, CFRP) as substitution to a steel reference) and different use stage scenarios of EV. A new engineering chart was developed, which helps design engineers to compare life cycle GHG emissions of lightweight material concepts to the reference. For body shells, the replacement of the steel reference with aluminum or GFRP shows reduced lifecycle GHG emissions for most use phase scenarios. This holds as well for structural parts being designed on torsional stiffness. For structural parts designed on tension/compression or bending stiffness CFRP designs show lowest lifecycle GHG emissions. In all cases, a high share of renewable electricity mix and a short lifetime pose the steel reference in favor. It is argued that a further elaboration of the approach could substantially increase transparency between design choices and life cycle GHG emissions.

Developments in Light Vehicle Life Cycle Analysis With Application to Electric Vehicles

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S. Curtiss ◽  
Jan F. Kreider
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Data Base ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicles ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Mercury Emissions ◽  
Hybrid Electric ◽  
Total Life

An LCA tool first reported on at the ASME ES conference in 2007 has been expanded and improved as follows: • More than 400 production vehicles from all over the world are now in the data base. • Conventional and renewable liquid and gas fuels are included. • Electric vehicles (EVs) and plug in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are included along with hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. • The tool is now web-based. The LCA tool includes both fuel and vehicle life cycle coefficients in its data base. To illustrate the LCA ranking of vehicles using electricity (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs) vs. conventional vehicles this paper will report on greenhouse gas emissions, total life cycle energy use along with NOx, SOx and mercury emissions. It will be shown, for example, that EVs are not the cleanest solution contrary to claims of various commentators in the popular press and of EV enthusiasts who do not take the entire life cycle into account.

scholarly journals Are electric vehicles eco-friendly products? A review from life cycle and sustainability perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 343 ◽  
pp. 07002
Author(s):  
Niculina Alexandra Grigore ◽  
Claudiu Vasile Kifor
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Electric Vehicle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Use Phase

Industry, especially the automotive industry is permanently changing and adapting to the external and internal factors. The appearance of the new types of vehicles – electric vehicles, is a big and important step not only regarding the evolution of the product, but also regarding the advantages of reducing environmental impact. It is promoted the idea that an electric vehicle generates less direct emissions in use phase compared with a conventional one. If we limit to this, we could say that we are dealing with an eco-friendly type of vehicle. The question is, can we extend this idea to the other stages of the life cycle? What about the sustainability of the industry? This article highlights the methods of environmental impact assessment used by researchers for electric vehicles in terms of life cycle and sustainability. The findings of this systematic review demonstrate that even if are a large number of articles addressing electric vehicles, only a small number of them evaluate the electric vehicle from life cycle and sustainability point of view.

Optimal battery capacity for an electric-vehicle-sharing-model in the People’s Republic of China

2016 ◽  
Vol 231 (11) ◽  
pp. 1471-1488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Wang ◽  
Runlin Yan ◽  
Gangzhan Fu
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Government Subsidy ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Battery Electric Vehicles ◽  
Battery Capacity ◽  
Daily Travel Distance ◽  
Daily Travel

A project on electric vehicle sharing has been previously carried out as a demonstration operation in Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and Shenzhen in the People’s Republic of China. The high initial investment caused by the high cost of batteries limits commercialization of an electric-vehicle-sharing model. Therefore, a key problem that the operators must solve is to choose the appropriate battery capacity for shared electric vehicles based on different urban driving cycles. Based on three new energy vehicles (i.e. electric vehicles) for demonstration cities of different scales as represented by Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hefei, a whole-life-cycle evaluation model of economic benefits for shared battery electric vehicles was established in this paper. The optimal battery capacity for different substitution rates was calculated using MATLAB software. Then, the influences that the substitution rate, the urban driving cycle, the average daily travel distance, the service price, the charging price, the battery (cycle) life, the battery pack cost and the government subsidy have on the optimal battery capacity in the life-cycle economic benefit model was explained. Suggestions for the optimal battery capacity are provided for operators in different cities. The results indicate that the purchasing cost, the energy consumption cost and the battery depreciation cost are the three main components of the life-cycle cost, which account for more than 80%. The average daily travel distance and the local government subsidy affect the optimal battery capacity only for certain substitution rates. The life-cycle economic benefits of one shared electric vehicle is found to have the most influence on the service price. This paper suggests that shared battery electric vehicles with different battery sizes of 44.5 kW h, 34.9 kW h and 36.96 kW h are suitable for use in metropolitan cities, in large-sized to medium-sized cities and in medium-sized to small-sized cities respectively, as represented correspondingly by Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hefei.

scholarly journals A Publicly Available Simulation of Battery Electric, Hybrid Electric, and Gas-Powered Vehicles

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2569
Author(s):  
Lawrence Fulton
Keyword(s):  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Hybrid Vehicles ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Interactive Simulation ◽  
Oxides Of Nitrogen ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Cost Of Ownership ◽  
Vehicle Purchase

Volatility in energy markets has made the purchase of battery electric vehicles (BEV) or hybrid vehicles (HEVs) attractive versus internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). However, the total cost of ownership (TCO) and true environmental effects, are difficult to assess. This study provides a publicly available, user-driven simulation that estimates the consumer and environmental costs for various vehicle purchase options, supporting policymaker, producer, and consumer information requirements. It appears to be the first to provide a publicly available, user interactive simulation that compares two purchase options simultaneously. It is likely that the first paper to simulate the effects of solar recharging of electric vehicles (EV) on both cost-benefit for the consumer and environmental benefit (e.g., carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, non-methane organic gasses, particulate matter, and formaldehyde) simultaneously, demonstrating how, as an example, solar-based charging of BEVs and HEVs reduces carbon emissions over grid-based charging. Two specific scenarios are explicated, and the results of show early break-even for both BEV and Plug-in HEV (PHEV) options over ICEV (13 months, and 12 months, respectively) with CO2 emissions about ½ that of the gasoline option (including production emissions.) The results of these simulations are congruent with previous research that identified quick break-even for HEVs versus ICEV.

scholarly journals Environmental Life Cycle Impacts of Automotive Batteries Based on a Literature Review

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 6345
Author(s):  
Christian Aichberger ◽  
Gerfried Jungmeier
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Battery Capacity ◽  
Automotive Batteries ◽  
Lca Results

We compiled 50 publications from the years 2005–2020 about life cycle assessment (LCA) of Li-ion batteries to assess the environmental effects of production, use, and end of life for application in electric vehicles. Investigated LCAs showed for the production of a battery pack per kWh battery capacity a median of 280 kWh/kWh_bc (25%-quantile–75%-quantile: 200–500 kWh/kWh_bc) for the primary energy consumption and a median of 120 kg CO2-eq/kWh_bc (25%-quantile–75%-quantile: 70–175 kg CO2-eq/kWh_bc) for greenhouse gas emissions. We expect results for current batteries to be in the lower range. Over the lifetime of an electric vehicle, these emissions relate to 20 g CO2-eq/km (25%-quantile–75%-quantile: 10–50 g CO2-eq/km). Considering recycling processes, greenhouse gas savings outweigh the negative environmental impacts of recycling and can reduce the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions by a median value of 20 kg CO2-eq/kWh_bc (25%-quantile–75%-quantile: 5–29 kg CO2-eq/kWh_bc). Overall, many LCA results overestimated the environmental impact of cell manufacturing, due to the assessments of relatively small or underutilized production facilities. Material emissions, like from mining and especially processing from metals and the cathode paste, could have been underestimated, due to process-based assumptions and non-regionalized primary data. Second-life applications were often not considered.

scholarly journals A Review of Life Cycle Assessment Studies of Electric Vehicles with a Focus on Resource Use

Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iulia Dolganova ◽  
Anne Rödl ◽  
Vanessa Bach ◽  
Martin Kaltschmitt ◽  
Matthias Finkbeiner
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Lca Case Studies ◽  
Potential Risks

Changes in the mobility patterns have evoked concerns about the future availability of certain raw materials necessary to produce alternative drivetrains and related batteries. The goal of this article is to determine if resource use aspects are adequately reflected within life cycle assessment (LCA) case studies of electric vehicles (EV). Overall, 103 LCA studies on electric vehicles from 2009 to 2018 are evaluated regarding their objective, scope, considered impact categories, and assessment methods—with a focus on resource depletion and criticality. The performed analysis shows that only 24 out of 76 EV LCA and 10 out of 27 battery LCA address the issue of resources. The majority of the studies apply one of these methods: CML-IA, ReCiPe, or Eco-Indicator 99. In most studies, EV show higher results for mineral and metal resource depletion than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV). The batteries analysis shows that lithium, manganese, copper, and nickel are responsible for the highest burdens. Only few publications approach resource criticality. Although this topic is a serious concern for future mobility, it is currently not comprehensively and consistently considered within LCA studies of electric vehicles. Criticality should be included in the analyses in order to derive results on the potential risks associated with certain resources.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document