Life cycle assessment of battery cell production in the context of the European Union batteries regulation: the influence of data aggregation and multifunctionality handling

Abstract By enabling carbon footprint reporting and supporting engineering of batteries and their production, life cycle assessment (LCA) is essential for a sustainable energy and mobility transition. This article analyses current gaps and limitations in the carbon footprint calculations as part of the EU Batteries regulation, focusing on data aggregation and multifunctionality handling in the battery cell production. Different approaches to data aggregation and multifunctionality handling are identified. Their implications are identified and discussed based on the application in a case study. Different approaches to handling multifunctionality cause about 6% difference in climate change impacts per cell in the case study. Applying cut-off at end-of-life is recommended as the most transparent and consistent approach. Temporal data aggregation affects the climate change impacts per cell by ±10%, with higher aggregations being more suitable for reporting and lower aggregations being essential for engineering purposes. Spatial data aggregation does not affect the overall climate change impacts but influences hotspot identification. The study underlines the need for further clarification in the standardised LCA regarding multifunctionality handling and data collection. Further, this article advocates for an extension of the method tailored to different LCA purposes, such as reporting and engineering.