From mine to manufacturer: Assessing transport impacts in the battery supply chain

Behind battery manufacturing lies a global supply chain that spans multiple continents. This study aims to examine the implications of the global battery supply chain from a transport perspective. A supply chain and market analysis serve as the foundation for simulating transportation within the supply chain, offering insights into the impact of transport on emissions and costs associated with battery cell manufacturing in Europe and China across various scenarios. The results indicate that (1) for Chinese and European cells, similar transport impacts are calculated if a final EV production facility in Europe is modelled; (2) transport-related emissions account for up to 5.2% of total supply chain emissions; (3) optimizing the supply chain to target the lowest transport-related emissions can result in savings of over 40% and 50% for transport-related emissions and costs respectively. The findings provide insight into the significance of transportation in designing and analyzing the battery supply chain. • 5.2 % of lithium-ion battery cell production emissions can be attributed to transport. • 3.5 % of lithium-ion battery cell production costs can be attributed to transport. • European & Chinese cells have similar transport emissions and costs but very different transport distances. • Supply chain optimization can reduce transport-related emissions by up to 43 % and costs by up to 56 %.