Sustainability assessment of current and future traction batteries

Electric vehicles have become increasingly popular, but their batteries' sustainability remains a concern. In a recently published article, Prof. Dr. Christian Thies together with Jan-Linus Popien, Alexander Barke and Professor Dr. Thomas S. Spengler from TU Braunschweig  investigated the sustainability of currently used and prospective traction battery technologies, including lithium-ion, lithium-sulfur, and all-solid-state batteries. Results indicate that the lithium-sulfur battery with solid electrolyte shows promises in reducing environmental impacts, costs, and social risks, but further development of all-solid-state batteries is still needed. The study also highlights the importance of evaluating these batteries on a common basis to enable reliable recommendations.

The open-access publication as well as comprehensive supplementary material are available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-023-02134-4.