Considering Battery Degradation in Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Analysis of Electric Vehicles

Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are predominantly employed to power Electric Vehicles (EVs). Battery degradation can significantly affect battery performance and further influence the energy consumptions and life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from EVs. However, currently battery degradation has not been taken into account in life cycle assessment (LCA) of EVs. In this paper, we report our research on considering battery degradation into life cycle GHG emissions of EVs, by analyzing a mid-size EV using a 24 kWh Lithium-Manganese-Oxide (LMO)-graphite battery. Both cycling loss and calendar loss in battery degradation are analyzed under average driving conditions of U.S. The model is validated with experimental testing data on Nissan Leaf from Argonne National Lab. In this study, the required battery replacement is also integrated into the LCA GHG emission model and results, by considering the cradle-to-gate GHG emissions from a battery pack. This model can improve the accuracy and reliability of life cycle GHG studies on EVs.