Arian Mahzouni

• Mahzouni, Arian & Velden, Maja van der (2026). A lifecycle perspective to environmental and social impacts of electric vehicle batteries: a literature review. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. ISSN 0948-3349. 31(9). doi: 10.1007/s11367-026-02706-0. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag

  Purpose This review examines the negative environmental and social impacts across the lifecycle of electric vehicle (EV) batteries from a global value chain perspective, highlighting the dilemma between environmentally sound transportation and the negative sustainability impacts. The main objective is to situate the lifecycle of EV batteries within the broader context of sustainability to develop a comprehensive understanding of sustainable batteries. It addresses two research questions: 1) What are the main social and environmental impacts in the lifecycle of EV batteries? 2) What are the main gaps and overarching themes in the literature towards sustainable batteries? Method Comprehensive data were collected and synthesised from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The review and analysis of scientific articles were conducted from May 2023 to June 2024, and the scope of the review has been limited to empirical studies published in English between 2010 and 2023. About 1849 articles in both databases and across the EV battery lifecycle were found, of which 71% addresses the environmental impacts, 20% the social impacts and 9% the life cycle assessment of EV batteries. Results The results provide insights into key patterns, trends, and topics in the literature on the undesirable environmental and social impacts in the six phases of the EV battery lifecycle. The review identified two gaps in the literature: limited research on the social impacts of EV batteries and on the design phase in the EV battery lifecycle, despite its vital role as the backbone of the circular battery economy. In addition, the vital roles of battery design, the energy production mix, and extended producer responsibility have been identified as three overarching themes that cut across the battery lifecycle phases. Conclusions The European Union’s perspective on sustainable batteries may be shaped by contextual factors, because reducing the negative social and environmental impacts of EV batteries depends on many socio-technical and territorial factors, such as battery design, battery state of health, recycling infrastructure, governance systems, and institutional structures. For instance, many countries in the Global South are less capable of enforcing battery regulations due to weak governance and regulatory frameworks. Therefore, they may take a different approach to sustainable batteries. However, establishing appropriate infrastructure and institutional arrangements to enable the collection, transportation and storage of retired EV batteries in the EoL phase will be a critical step towards sustainable batteries.

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