A consequence of the automotive industry's shift to electrification is that a significantly higher percentage of a vehicle's lifecycle CO2 emissions occur during the production phase. As a result, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers must shift the focus of product development from the 'in-use phase only' to optimizing the complete product lifecycle.
The proper design of a battery has the highest impact to all other phases following in the life cycle. It influences the selection of materials, the manufacturing, in-use and end of life, respectively the recycling and recycling yield for a circular economy.
Using real-life examples, the paper will explain what the main parameters are necessary for designing a sustainable battery. What are the low hanging fruits to be considered? In addition, it will elaborate on the relation as well as the impacts to other KPIs like safety, costs and lifetime of the battery.
Finally, it will round up in an outlook on how batteries will evolve in the future where eco-design is the main driving factor.
The paper is structured as follows:
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CO2 concentrations within current state-of-the-art traction batteries, where can we focus our efforts?
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Legislation boundary conditions for sustainable traction batteries in automotive
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Overview on hot spots and main impact areas on sustainability improvements in all phases of the lifecycle
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Lifecycle CO2 (cradle-to-grave) impact minimization strategies during the product development phase
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Usage phase comparison NMC vs. LFP
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Best-practice toolkits and organizational approaches
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Design-to-CO2 examples: Material variation, manufacturing process improvements
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Economic considerations such as serviceability vs. effort
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Design for recycling examples: Guidelines for easier disassembly, Higher recycled raw material yield.