Linking cell design and production energy demand to estimate environmental impacts of NMC lithium‐ion batteries

Abstract Life cycle assessment of several common lithium‐ion battery (LIB) cell designs is hindered by lack of cell‐specific large‐scale production data. This issue is further exacerbated by the fact that automotive manufacturers deploy diverse LIB cell types optimized to meet specific application demands through variations in chemistry, internal design, and format, posing significant challenges in assessing the environmental impacts of different cell types. To address this, this study proposes a parameterization methodology that links cell design parameters, such as electrode and casing area, and cell energy with production processes to investigate the influence of cell type on climate and resources impacts. The parameterization methodology is applied across 14 cell types employing graphite and nickel manganese cobalt oxide electrodes, varying in format, internal design, and nickel content. Results reveal substantial variability in energy demand during production when reported per cell, ranging from 1 to 30 kWh/cell for electricity and 2 to 50 MJ/cell for cooling. When reported per kWh cell the variation is smaller, 61–63 kWh/kWh cell for electricity and 107 MJ/kWh cell for cooling. Impacts of power‐optimized cells are higher than energy‐optimized cells due to larger negative electrodes of the former. Cylindrical cells have lower impacts than prismatic cells owing to their superior volumetric efficiency. Higher volumetric efficiency of single‐ over four‐jelly rolls in prismatic cells also yielded lower impacts. Thus, pointing to the importance of internal cell design when assessing environmental impacts. Finally, higher‐nickel‐content chemistries exhibit reduced climate and resource impacts due to a decreased reliance on cobalt which has higher impact during extraction and production.