Climate Change Analysis of Manufacture and Use Lithium Ion Batteries
Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries will be an essential part of decarbonising transportation and cobalt will play a crucial part in this. Cobalt Institute has worked with expert consultancy Minviro to develop a fully peer reviewed ISO 14040/14044 compliant lifecycle assessment that addresses not only the manufacturing of EV batteries but also their use. This in-depth report puts high quality on EV battery manufacture and use in the public domain in a clear and understandable manner for all stakeholders.
The report provides an assessment of the cradle-to-gate Global Warming Potential (GWP) impact of manufacturing NMC, NCA and LFP EV battery packs, including material sourcing. Further, both high and low impact scenarios are modelled to illustrate the risk and opportunity presented through sourcing materials and different manufacturing locations. Cobalt containing EV battery chemistries have the potential to have the lowest carbon footprints when sourcing the best performing raw materials.
In addition, the report looks at the use phase of EV batteries, quantifying the impact of different battery chemistries resulting from their different energy densities (and therefore mass). As is to be expected, mass-induced energy loss has a material impact on the amount of electricity used in the use phase, and therefore the carbon footprint, based on today’s electricity grids which are still dependent on fossil fuels. Lightweighting of vehicles will be a crucial part of creating a sustainable transportation system. Cobalt containing EV battery chemistries have the highest energy densities, and therefore are lightest on a like for like basis.
