Electromobility has been recognised as one of the main solutions to decarbonise transport. A battery-electric vehicle can produce up to 80% less CO2 emissions over its lifetime compared to an average EU oil or diesel vehicle today.

Lithium-ion batteries are the established technology for powering electric vehicles, as they combine high cycle life, high energy density, and robustness - but they also have their shortcomings.

The mining and processing of commonly used critical raw materials – such as cobalt – often have a detrimental impact on the environment, as well as society. In fact, more than 50% of the world’s cobalt supply comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where large numbers of unregulated mines use young children as miners.

At the same time, a growing number of commercially used Li-ion batteries are reaching the end of their lifetime. With the growing EV market, this number is expected to continually increase over the coming years. Without clear large-scale solutions for 2nd use, recycling and disposal, this is becoming an increasingly important environmental challenge.

That is why European organisations are working together to address these environmental and societal concerns and develop the sustainable batteries of the future.

This session will focus on the sustainability of Li-ion batteries, considering their entire life cycle through different steps of the value chain. In the first half of the session, experts will present their work on various aspects related to Li-ion sustainability, and the impact this might have. These presentations will be complemented by a panel discussion where future improvements will be explored from the perspectives of research, industry and policy.

AGENDA

11:00 - 11:10 Introduction by Bax & Company

11:10 - 12:00 3 presentations (10 mins each + brief Q&A)

• LCA and Eco-design of batteries by Elise Monnier - CEA | HYDRA project
• Use and 2nd use of batteries by Boschidar Ganev - AIT | 3BeLiEVe project
• Current and future recycling processes by Ruben Kühnel - Empa | SeNSE project

12:00 - 12:30 Panel discussion with Philippe Jacques (EMIRI), Jan Tytgat (UMICORE), Clémence Siret (SAFT Batteries), and Silvia Bodoardo (Politecnico di Torino)

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This EU Green Week partner event has been organised by the LC-BAT-5 Cluster projects COBRA, 3beLiEVe, HYDRA and SeNSE.