A Holistic Framework for the Performance, Cost, and Environmental Impact Evaluation of Battery Technologies

ECS Meeting Abstracts, vol. MA2026-01, pp. 141

Abstract

The mounting demand for battery cells in the context of the energy transition necessitates evaluation methods that extend beyond technical performance metrics. This work presents a multidimensional framework that simultaneously integrates electrical performance, costs, and life cycle assessment into a consistent analysis of real and virtual cells. In total, 140 cells were modeled, covering commercial chemistries and systematically permuted configurations, in which electrode combinations were recombined. The framework enables a direct variation of individual design parameters without unintended changes to other properties. This allows systematic comparisons of real, commercial cells with virtual redesigns under consistent boundary conditions. The comparison enables the identification of suitable cells in accordance with varying requirements and thus supports cell selection for battery systems. Within the permutations, ultra-high-energy cells were generated under idealized design assumptions. In this study, the investigated Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cells exhibit global warming potential (GWP) values of 53–63 kg CO2-Eq/kWh, while chosen sodium-ion batteries (SiB) show a slightly higher range of 59–72 kg CO2-Eq/kWh. Depending on housing and anode composition, production costs range from 32.7€/kWh–69.3€/kWh for LFP and 31.7 €/kWh–82.4 €/kWh for SiB. SiB cells achieve mineral resource scarcity values of about 5kg Cu-Eq/kWh, roughly three times lower than lithium-ion batteries. The investigated Lithium-titanium-oxide cells perform worst, with nearly twice the GWP due to their very low energy density. Cathode chemistry proves decisive for ecological performance, with nickel sulfate-based precursors exhibiting the highest acidification values and LFP cells the lowest. Besides the influence of cell chemistry, housing design also plays an important role in costs and emissions as shown by systematic permutations of housing designs. The presentation introduces the developed framework enabling the economic and ecological evaluation of individual cells.

Authors 6

1. Duc Minh Nguyen Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   CARL, RWTH Aachen University

   Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA)

2. Nicolas Peter Kaiser Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   CARL, RWTH Aachen University

   Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA)

3. Florian Hölting Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   CARL, RWTH Aachen University

   Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA)

4. Moritz Schütte Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   CARL, RWTH Aachen University

   Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA)

5. Florian Ringbeck Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   CARL, RWTH Aachen University

   Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA)

6. Dirk Uwe Sauer Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   CARL, RWTH Aachen University

   Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA)