Electric car’s big challenge: making batteries more sustainable

 Even under the worst conditions, electric cars are more efficient and greener to run than their combustion-fueled counterparts. But generally, electric cars are (for the moment) less green to produce. However, running an EV for just 1-2 years is more than enough to make up for this deficit.

And precisely the Well to Wheel analysis method proves it, because although the production of an electric car is associated with 15% more CO2 emissions than a combustion engine (due to the production of the battery), this difference is compensated after only 20,000km of driving.

This method takes into account the CO2 emitted both to extract, transport and process the crude oil needed to manufacture cars and to produce petrol and lubricants for their use, as well as CO2 emitted when manufacturing an electric and generating the electricity to power it.

Advances in lithium-ion battery recycling could hold the key

Thus, one of the biggest challenges for electric vehicle manufacturers is related to the batteries themselves, both in relation to the manufacturing process and the recycling process.

Good news is that rapid progress is being made in the development of green lithium mining which uses geothermal energy and produces no carbon. Similar developments are underway for green nickel, aluminum, and other metals, as well as the evolution of existing lithium-ion batteries into promising solid-state batteries or graphene-based organic batteries.

But the best thing is that governments have already identified this potential challenge. The aim is to make the production processes of these batteries significantly greener and thus contribute to meeting the climate decarbonization goals set out in the European Climate Law to combat climate change.

The measure proposes that such batteries should be carbon neutral and recyclable for a high percentage of their raw materials by 2030 (to be more specific, 95% for cobalt, 70% for lithium, 95% for nickel and 95% for lead).

To reach this target, the proposal states:

• From 2024, all batteries sold in Europe would have to publicly declare their carbon footprint.

• From 2027, it would be mandatory to declare the amount of recycled raw materials used for their production. Not only that, but Brussels is proposing to set 2027 as the deadline for not allowing the sale of any battery or electric car that does not respect the CO2 emission limits.

Last but not least, this measure establishes a framework to promote the reuse of electric vehicle batteries with the aim of giving them a second life, either as energy storage systems or as part of the electricity grid as an energy resource.