Addressing the Scientific Gaps Between Life Cycle Thinking and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Sustainability Assessment of Electric Vehicles’ Lithium-Ion Batteries
Electric vehicles can substantially lower the overall carbon footprint of the transportation sector, and their batteries become key enablers of widespread electrification. Although high capacity and efficiency are essential for providing sufficient range and performance in electric vehicles, they ca...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | World Electric Vehicle Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/16/1/44 |
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| author | Maria Tournaviti Christos Vlachokostas Alexandra V. Michailidou Christodoulos Savva Charisios Achillas |
| author_facet | Maria Tournaviti Christos Vlachokostas Alexandra V. Michailidou Christodoulos Savva Charisios Achillas |
| author_sort | Maria Tournaviti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Electric vehicles can substantially lower the overall carbon footprint of the transportation sector, and their batteries become key enablers of widespread electrification. Although high capacity and efficiency are essential for providing sufficient range and performance in electric vehicles, they can be compromised by the need to lower costs and environmental impacts and retain valuable materials. In the present work, multi-criteria decision analysis was adopted to assess the sustainability of different lithium-ion batteries. Life cycle carbon emissions and toxicity, material criticality, life cycle costs, specific energy, safety, and durability were considered in the analysis as key parameters of the transition to electric mobility. A subjective approach was chosen for the weight attribution of the criteria. Although certain alternatives, like lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), outweigh others in specific energy, they lack in terms of safety, material preservation, and environmental impact. Addressing cost-related challenges is also important for making certain solutions competitive and largely accessible. Overall, while technical parameters are crucial for the development of lithium-ion batteries, it is equally important to consider the environmental burden, resource availability, and economic factors in the design process, alongside social aspects such as the ethical sourcing of materials to ensure their sustainability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-082ba523bca0447393766edce6bdc0de |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2032-6653 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | World Electric Vehicle Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-082ba523bca0447393766edce6bdc0de2025-01-24T13:52:52ZengMDPI AGWorld Electric Vehicle Journal2032-66532025-01-011614410.3390/wevj16010044Addressing the Scientific Gaps Between Life Cycle Thinking and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Sustainability Assessment of Electric Vehicles’ Lithium-Ion BatteriesMaria Tournaviti0Christos Vlachokostas1Alexandra V. Michailidou2Christodoulos Savva3Charisios Achillas4Sustainability Engineering Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSustainability Engineering Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSustainability Engineering Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceSustainability Engineering Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Supply Chain Management, International Hellenic University, Kanelopoulou 2, 60100 Katerini, GreeceElectric vehicles can substantially lower the overall carbon footprint of the transportation sector, and their batteries become key enablers of widespread electrification. Although high capacity and efficiency are essential for providing sufficient range and performance in electric vehicles, they can be compromised by the need to lower costs and environmental impacts and retain valuable materials. In the present work, multi-criteria decision analysis was adopted to assess the sustainability of different lithium-ion batteries. Life cycle carbon emissions and toxicity, material criticality, life cycle costs, specific energy, safety, and durability were considered in the analysis as key parameters of the transition to electric mobility. A subjective approach was chosen for the weight attribution of the criteria. Although certain alternatives, like lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), outweigh others in specific energy, they lack in terms of safety, material preservation, and environmental impact. Addressing cost-related challenges is also important for making certain solutions competitive and largely accessible. Overall, while technical parameters are crucial for the development of lithium-ion batteries, it is equally important to consider the environmental burden, resource availability, and economic factors in the design process, alongside social aspects such as the ethical sourcing of materials to ensure their sustainability.https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/16/1/44multi-criteria decision-makinglithium-ion batteriessustainability assessmentlife cycle analysiselectric vehiclesanalytic hierarchy process |
| spellingShingle | Maria Tournaviti Christos Vlachokostas Alexandra V. Michailidou Christodoulos Savva Charisios Achillas Addressing the Scientific Gaps Between Life Cycle Thinking and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Sustainability Assessment of Electric Vehicles’ Lithium-Ion Batteries World Electric Vehicle Journal multi-criteria decision-making lithium-ion batteries sustainability assessment life cycle analysis electric vehicles analytic hierarchy process |
| title | Addressing the Scientific Gaps Between Life Cycle Thinking and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Sustainability Assessment of Electric Vehicles’ Lithium-Ion Batteries |
| title_full | Addressing the Scientific Gaps Between Life Cycle Thinking and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Sustainability Assessment of Electric Vehicles’ Lithium-Ion Batteries |
| title_fullStr | Addressing the Scientific Gaps Between Life Cycle Thinking and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Sustainability Assessment of Electric Vehicles’ Lithium-Ion Batteries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Addressing the Scientific Gaps Between Life Cycle Thinking and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Sustainability Assessment of Electric Vehicles’ Lithium-Ion Batteries |
| title_short | Addressing the Scientific Gaps Between Life Cycle Thinking and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for the Sustainability Assessment of Electric Vehicles’ Lithium-Ion Batteries |
| title_sort | addressing the scientific gaps between life cycle thinking and multi criteria decision analysis for the sustainability assessment of electric vehicles lithium ion batteries |
| topic | multi-criteria decision-making lithium-ion batteries sustainability assessment life cycle analysis electric vehicles analytic hierarchy process |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/16/1/44 |
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