Energy use for GWh-scale lithium-ion battery production

Abstract

Estimates of energy use for lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cell manufacturing show substantial variation, contributing to disagreements regarding the environmental benefits of large-scale deployment of electric mobility and other battery applications. Here, energy usage is estimated for two large-scale battery cell factories using publicly available data. It is concluded that these facilities use around 50-65 kWh (180-230 MJ) of electricity per kWh of battery capacity, not including other steps of the supply chain, such as mining and processing of materials. These estimates are lower than previous studies using data on pilot-scale or under-utilized facilities but are similar to recent estimates based on fully utilized, large-scale factories. The environmental impact of battery manufacturing varies with the amounts and form of energy used; especially as renewable sources replace electricity from fossil fuels. As additional large-scale battery factories are taken into use, more data should become available, and the reliance on outdated, unrepresentative, and often incomparable, estimates of energy usage in the emerging Li-ion battery industry should be avoided.

Environmental Life Cycle Impacts of Automotive Batteries Based on a Literature Review

“…The more recent results of Dai et al seem to be more realistic for current and future cell production processes. For example, Ellingsen et al reduced the electricity demand by 50% in a later study after reviewing industry reports [13], and this results in a value closer to Dai et al Current data from the Northvolt cell production plant in Sweden also indicate values in the range from 50-65 kWh/kWh_bc for current and future large-scale battery cell factories [62]. Nevertheless, the results of Ellingsen et al were in the last years often used as the basis for other top-down LCAs.…”

Energy flow analysis of laboratory scale lithium-ion battery cell production

“…Yet this requires detailed knowledge of the energy demand of LIB production ranging from a lab to industrial scale. The industrial scale has been discussed in several studies (Davidsson Kurland, 2019;Ellingsen et al, 2014;Peters et al, 2017;Thomitzek et al, 2019aThomitzek et al, , 2019b, most recently in the review by Emilsson and Dahllö f (2019). However, the production of LIBs is very complex, and access to data from industrial manufacturers is limited (Dai et al, 2019;Davidsson Kurland, 2019;Ellingsen et al, 2014;Peters et al, 2017;.…”

“…The industrial scale has been discussed in several studies (Davidsson Kurland, 2019;Ellingsen et al, 2014;Peters et al, 2017;Thomitzek et al, 2019aThomitzek et al, , 2019b, most recently in the review by Emilsson and Dahllö f (2019). However, the production of LIBs is very complex, and access to data from industrial manufacturers is limited (Dai et al, 2019;Davidsson Kurland, 2019;Ellingsen et al, 2014;Peters et al, 2017;. The availability of such data is particularly important for conducting life cycle assessments (LCAs), which are a well-established, standardized method for evaluating the environmental impacts of products and goods but also activities (Peters et al, 2016;Thomitzek et al, 2019b;Zackrisson et al, 2010).…”

“…Furthermore, the studies have different scope and system boundaries and different assumptions for certain parameters and production processes (Peters et al, 2017;Thomitzek et al, 2019a). In addition, only a few studies provide detailed and comprehensible information about battery cell production, which is repeatedly declared to be the production step with the highest energy demand and a high environmental impact (Dai et al, 2019;Davidsson Kurland, 2019;Emilsson and Dahllö f, 2019;. Thus, the results of studies on the environmental impact of an LIB differ considerably, and some studies rely on outdated data (Davidsson Kurland, 2019;Peters et al, 2017).…”

Tackling xEV Battery Chemistry in View of Raw Material Supply Shortfalls

“…However, actual research results do not show that this option would be available in widespread commercial applications before 2030. It has to be additionally emphasized that tremendous production capacities (Gigafactories) (Kurland, 2019;Fan et al, 2020) and automotive V-Model life cycle (Kumar et al, 2009; will prevent any fast switch to other battery cell technologies. Hence, it is established that Li-ion technology will be prominent in the near future, however its chemistry and materials are uncertain.…”