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Cited by 110Electric Vehicles and InfrastructurePower Systems and Renewable EnergyAdvanced Battery Technologies Research

Cost, energy, and carbon footprint benefits of second-life electric vehicle battery use

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Dong, Qingyin, Liang, Shuang, Li, Jinhui, Kim, Hyung Chul, Shen, Wei, Wallington, Timothy J.·2023·iScience
DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107195PMC PMC10339184
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Abstract

The manuscript reviews the research on economic and environmental benefits of second-life electric vehicle batteries (EVBs) use for energy storage in households, utilities, and EV charging stations. Economic benefits depend heavily on electricity costs, battery costs, and battery performance; carbon benefits depend largely on the electricity mix charging the batteries. Environmental performance is greatest when used to store renewable energy such as wind and solar power. Inconsistent system boundaries make it challenging to compare the life cycle carbon footprint across different studies. The future growth of second-life EVB utilization faces several challenges, including the chemical and electrical properties and states of health of retired EVBs, the rapidly decreasing costs of new batteries, and different operational requirements. Measures to mitigate these challenges include the development of efficient diagnostic technologies, comprehensive test standards, and battery designs suitable for remanufacturing. Further research is needed based on real-world operational data and harmonized approaches.

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  • Second-life batteries lower capital costs by 20-80% compared to new lithium-ion batteries.

    “Second-life batteries (SLBs) provide an additional advantage by lowering capital costs by 20-80% compared to new lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) [4]”

    From Designing a Sustainable Off-Grid EV Charging Station: Analysis Across Urban and Remote Canadian Regions (2026) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Introduction (Retired EVBs; page unavailable) says second-life battery costs are 20%–80% of new-battery costs, equivalent to being 20%–80% lower. But that is a comparison of battery costs, not total capital costs. The Economic analysis (page unavailable) reports total capital costs for one second-life battery storage system at 64%–79% of a new system’s costs. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Dong, Q., Liang, S., Li, J., Kim, H. C., Shen, W., & Wallington, T. J.
Affiliations
  • Tsinghua University (CN)
  • Ford Motor Company (United States) (US)
  • University of Michigan (US)
Corresponding author
Li, Jinhui
ORCID
Venue
iScience
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-07
Volume
26
Issue
7
Pages
107195
ISSN
2589-0042 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.isci.2023.107195
PMC
PMC10339184
OpenAlex
W4381847869
Cited by
110
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 47 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 18
FWCI
1.86
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • iScience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Ford Motor Company (DEPT2020-J076.2)
  • Beijing Social Science Fund (17ZDA27)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Energy Engineering and Power Technology › Power Systems and Renewable Energy
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Advanced Battery Technologies Research
Keywords
second-life electric vehicle batteries, battery energy storage, carbon footprint, life cycle assessment, residential energy storage, electric vehicle charging stations, renewable energy storage, battery cost, electricity cost, battery state of health, battery remanufacturing, system boundaries

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