The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) powered by lithium ion batteries (LIBs) is a key mechanism for achieving environmental targets for greenhouse gas and air pollution mitigation in the transport sector. Yet, the potential impacts of producing and disposing of these batteries and the risks of resource constraints affecting the availability of materials required for their production has started to focus attention on the need for advancing policy, infrastructure, and technology required for robust and environmentally preferable LIB end-of -life management.
Given the weak economics and an uncertain future regulatory environment for LIB reuse and recycling, swift policy intervention is required for sustainable and safe end-of-life treatment of LIBs. This research proposes to develop a dynamic systems model that integrates the economic, environmental, and social factors that shape the reverse logistics process and the economics of reuse and recycling to develop robust policies for LIB end-of-life management. The model will consider reuse and recycling in the context of rapidly growing in-use stocks that include a diverse set of battery chemistries and architectures, will characterize environmental impacts and costs using life cycle methods, and will employ a mixed methods research approach incorporating qualitative research on stakeholders in the vehicle afterlife ecosystem.
Implementation of Research Outputs
This research has informed the work of the Lithium-ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group, which was formed in 2019 in response to California Assembly Bill 2832 (Dahle, 2018) to advise the Legislature on policies pertaining to the recovery and recycling of lithium-ion vehicle batteries sold with motor vehicles in the state. The research team facilitated advisory group meetings, advised the group in the development of recommendations, and produced a final report.