(790b) Sustainability of Battery Electric Vehicles Propelled by Lithium Ion Batteries : A Life Cycle Perspective

With the foreseeable increasing penetration of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) into the U.S. market, the environmental impacts associated with the delivery of driven vehicle miles are worth investigating for this alternative mode of transportation as compared with conventional Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs). In this study, life cycle assessment has been conducted on Lithium Ion Battery (LIB)-powered BEVs representing the status-quo of current technology.  The total life cycle impacts of BEVs, evaluated by Eco-indicator 99, Cumulative Energy Demand and Global Warming Potential, were compared with that of ICEVs burning petroleum to quantitatively demonstrate the environmental friendliness of BEVs. The importance of battery material chemistries, synthesis pathways and electricity mix was also investigated respectively. The results confirmed that BEVs equipped with LIBs offer substantial environmental benefits over ICEVs, including curtailing energy consumption, mitigating global warming, and reducing emissions capable of damaging human health and ecosystem quality. As use phase dominates the environmental burdens of BEVs, the switch to a greener electricity mix would be the key to a more sustainable transportation mode by BEV.  Manufacturing and assembly phase of LIB, contributing to up to 20% of the total environmental footprints of BEVs, also provide windows of opportunity to alleviate environmental impacts through future BEV improvements, especially by extending cycle life and energy density of a battery pack.