Prospective LCA of Electrochemical Cells of 4th and 5th Generations for Electric Vehicle Batteries

Despite the success of the current Lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells, various next-generation cells are now being researched to overcome their performance and sustainability limitations. Focused on Electric Vehicles (EVs), this study aims to assess the environmental sustainability of several alternatives to current Li-ion cells. Chosen on the basis of their suitability to meet the performance and safety requirements for future EVs, the promising next-generation cells under study are two silicon-anode cells (i.e., Si-CPAN, SiNWs), an All-Solid-State cell (ASS) and a Lithium-Sulfur cell (Li-S). First, this study investigates the environmental impacts of the next-generation cells under study through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. Second, the environmental impacts of the next-generation cells were compared to those of a conventional Li-ion cell constituted by a Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) cathode and a graphite anode. Third, to compare the next-generation cells with the conventional Li-ion cell, a Prospective Life Cycle Assessment (P-LCA) from cradle to gate is conducted. During this step, the industrial-level inventories of the selected cells are modelled by performing a scaling up of laboratory-level data. Lastly, hotspot and sensitivity analysis are conducted. Results show that the ASS, Li-S and Si-CPAN cells compete well in terms of sustainability, whilst the SiNWs cell is characterized by larger impacts.