GHG Emissions from the Production of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles in ChinaAbstract: With the mass market penetration of electric vehicles, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
emissions associated with lithium-ion battery production has become a major concern. In this
study, by establishing a life cycle assessment framework, GHG emissions from the production of
lithium-ion batteries in China are estimated. The results show that for the three types of most
commonly used lithium-ion batteries, the (LFP) battery, the (NMC) battery and the (LMO) battery,
the GHG emissions from the production of a 28 kWh battery are 3061 kgCO2-eq, 2912 kgCO2-eq and 2705 kgCO2-eq, respectively. This implies around a 30% increase in GHG emissions from vehicle production compared with conventional vehicles. The productions of cathode materials and wrought aluminum are the dominating contributors of GHG emissions, together accounting for around three quarters of total emissions. From the perspective of process energy use, around 40% of total emissions are associated with electricity use, for which the GHG emissions in China are over two times higher than the level in the United States. According to our analysis, it is recommended that great efforts are needed to reduce the GHG emissions from battery production in China, with improving the production of cathodes as the essential measure.
This paper puts the CO2 emissions of the smaller 30kWh battery at 3 tonnes, in China. It also states that US emissions are about one third of those for battery production, so in the U.S. it would be 1 tonne for 30kWh (Nissan Leaf) and 3.3 tonnes for 100kWh (Tesla) - see page 7 of the report for a comparison table. A big reason is the high use of coal to produce electricity in China. The U.S. numbers are a lot lower than the numbers provided in the Swedish study, all between 30 and 35 kg CO2 per kWh.
www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/4/504/pdfA Union of Concerned Scientists report put the CO2 emissions of a 85 kWh Tesla battery at 1 tonne.
http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/11/Cleaner-Cars-from-Cradle-to-Grave-full-report.pdfThe operation of the car with gasoline dwarfs the CO2 emissions in manufacturing.
That Swedish study assumes that the energy used for production will be 50% fossil fuel based. Also assumes a linear scaling of CO2 emissions and battery size, which may not match to reality. Has the Swedish study been peer reviewed, looks like an outlier?