By design, EVs don't release emissions when we drive them, because they are powered by electricity, so the combustion that takes places in a petrol or diesel engine is eliminated. And this is the main reason this kind of cars are getting more and more traction among sustainability enthusiasts and countries that are advocating for a ”greener” way of transporation.

Still, that electricity is stored in batteries, which have a production process that is associated with a high environmental footprint that is released around the production hub of those batteries. Furthermore, there's also the production process of the electricity itself involved, but that's another topic for another article.

What does it mean for the environment to manufacture an EV battery

For the production of batteries that go into EVs (as well as other goods) we have to extract rare minerals, such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. As the name suggests, these minerals are found in few places around the world, mostly in South America, and their extraction involves complex processes and high costs, both financial, as well as for the ecosystems and the communities.

Mining companies that extract these minerals use large amounts of water and energy to do so and generate pollution in the process. At the same time, the habitats and local ecosystems suffer because of this process. Despite that, authorities and the automotive industry, pressed by regulations itself, accelerate innovation in this sector, meaning that new processes emerge, which have a lower footprint on the environment.

For each kilowatt-hour capacity we release up to 90 kg of CO2

The actual production of batteries for electric cars is actually one of the most polluting processes associated with this product. In fact, for each kilowatt-hour capacity, there are around 60-90 kilograms of CO2 emissions released in the atmosphere.

If we think about the fact that the battery of an EV is around 50-60 kWh and some models surpass 100 kWh, we could figure that the impact on the environment increases exponentially.

So, in order to manufacture a 100 kWh battery, we end up releasing upwards of 9 tons of CO2. If we're talking about electric trucks, which have batteries ranging from 250 kWh and reach even over 550 kWh, the impact is even greater.

Compared to an ICE car (internal combustion engine) or a hybrid model, EVs have the most polluting production process associated with them, some studies show. Thus, for each new model manufactured, emissions could vary from 5.5 tons for a classic car to almost 9 tons for an EV, but this number can vary based on the model and manufacturer.

Fires are another important factor to take into account when we talk about EVs, especially in the context of global warming, which increases the chances of such events taking place. For example, an EV or even a hybrid model, will pollute more compared to an ICE car that's burning. This is because traction batteries contain a lot of polluting and toxic chemicals, making the extinguish process very difficult, while the risk of reignition is great. The University of Miami, which did studies on burning EVs, discovered that about 100 toxic chemicals are being released during such an event, while for an ICE car, this number is way smaller.

Since they are components that age chemically, EV batteries need to be replaced at some point, and this will be obvious in a few years, when existing EVs will need new battery packs and the number of such interventions will be greater.

The good news in this case is that, once reaching their initial operational end-of-life, EV batteries can most likely be used for applications such as energy storage. A used battery from an electric car can keep up to 70-80% capacity after a number of years, which can make it suitable for such applications.

Still, EVs remain "the cleanest" in the long run

The advantage of EVs comes with using them long-term, which counterbalances the initial emissions from the manufacturing process. Thus, according to a study from experts at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), an electric model will start to pollute less compared to a traditional car after around 17.000 kilometers.

At the same time, BMW suggests that the iX3 xDrive50 model has a lower environmental footprint compared with a similar ICE model after being driven for 21.500 kilometers. These results emerged after taking into account the average energy consumption and powering the car with electricity coming from Europe's energy mix. Should the energy come from renewable sources only, the required driven distance to reach lower emissions drops to 17.500 kms.

Experts at P3 consultancy suggest that, by optimizing the extraction of minerals and the manufacturing of batteries, as well as the recycling processes, the quantity of emissions per kilowatt-hour can drop to around 20 kg from 55 kg.

“Data collection is crucial, drawing from both industry databases (secondary data) and supply chain partners (primary data). For complex products like batteries, primary data is especially critical and is required for specific components by the EU Battery Regulation carbon footprint calculation methodology for EV batteries”, according to P3.

EV battery recycling can be the solution

As far as the efficient battery recycling is concerned, there are already companies, such as Redwood Materials and Ascend Elements, that developed processes that allow us to recover upwards of 90% of the materials found in a used battery. This will help us in the future to reduce the dependence on external supply sources.

Still, researchers at P3 take into account more pessimistic scenarios when it comes to the reintegration of the used prime matter in the economy. They say that, for a 70% recycling rate of the materials from a spent battery (using mechanical and hydrometallurgical processes), the carbon footprint per kilowatt-hour may drop to just 3.6 kg. But, if the recycling rate is just 25%, the carbon footprint is rated at 12.8 kg per kilowatt-hour, so the potential highly depends on the success rate of recycling, which can vary from battery to battery.

Solutions for a cleaner battery manufacturing

Beyond reusing and recycling batteries more efficiently, there are many things that the industry can do in order to manufacture cells with a lower impact on the environment. Industry experts suggest a few upgrades in the production process that can contribute to more sustainable batteries.

Among these are

  • developing batteries with a lower or zero-cobalt content, to reduce the dependence on a rare resource;
  • solid-state batteries, which use fewer toxic chemicals for production and which promise a longer lifespan compared to the lithium batteries that are currently being used in the industry;
  • a local supply chain for lithium can help with reducing emissions and the waiting time associated with the transport of this raw material. Portugal, France and Germany are just a few countries in Europe that have lithium deposits which could help us reduce the dependence on further places;
  • battery passports and transparency initiatives for the supply chain that are meant to make manufacturers more responsible with regards to ethical environmental practices;