Effects of Battery Manufacturing on Electric Vehicle Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Electric vehicles and their batteries present an environmental conundrum.

Electric and hybrid cars are popular because they reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. As their prices drop, manufacturers are turning out millions of them. To meet increasing demands, more lithium-ion batteries must be produced. But battery manufacturing itself creates significant amounts of greenhouse gases. Studies of battery life cycles have produced a wide “range of values” for each vehicle’s carbon footprint, depending upon how and where it was produced. 

There is currently no reliable way to assess the environmental life cycle impacts of electric versus conventional vehicles.

Each environmental life cycle impact study’s methodology influences its conclusions, and data from manufacturing facilities around the globe varies. But one conclusion is clear: A large share...