Automotive Engineering - August 2023 - 21

Reducing the
BATTERY MATERIALS FEATURE
battery materials
supply risk
" Adjacent " strategies
such as improving vehicle
efficiency and advancing
promising chemistries
can mitigate the risks
associated with today's
favored battery materials.
by Chris Borroni-Bird
Many cities have instituted vehicle-free zones, which will stimulate innovative, less-consumptive
modes of transportation.
B
attery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption is taking off for a variety
of reasons. Battery cost per kWh of energy stored has
dropped 10-fold since 2010. Driving range has increased, making
range anxiety less of a concern, particularly for households
having Level 2 charging and several vehicles. Government regulations
in key vehicle markets and automakers rethinking the electrical
architecture to support software-defined vehicles also are stimulating
an expanding choice of consumer EVs.
With increased EV adoption comes concern for the environmental
and human rights impact associated with battery materials mining
and processing as well as national-security concerns. Supply volatility,
given the huge investments and long-term return, make battery
production susceptible to price spikes, as seen in 2022 with lithium
and nickel, for example.
Some automakers are responding to these risks by localizing supply,
locking in long-term battery pricing, forming JVs with battery
manufacturers and investing directly in mining operations to access
key battery metals. Similarly, OEMs are motivated to eliminate the
need for rare-earth magnets in electric motors.
In addition, on the vehicle side, automakers are working to improve
vehicle energy efficiency, as well as battery pack efficiency with strategies
such as cell-to-pack or cell-to-vehicle assembly, bypassing module-based
battery design. Recent nickel price spikes and improvements
in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) also have led automakers to consider a
dual approach, offering LFP for entry-level vehicles and NMC (lithium
nickel manganese cobalt) for premium versions so that instead of the
usual power-performance difference between entry and premium levels,
vehicle range also will be a differentiator. And automakers always
hold hope for a lithium-ion battery breakthrough, such as the solidstate
electrolyte version that might double energy density and reduce
battery costs by around 30%. This might be realized in production by
2030. Recycling could meet 6% of annual EV materials demand by
2030 and become a significant source over time.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
What more can be done?
Heating and cooling passengers more efficiently is an
effective way to increase vehicle range -or to downsize
the battery for a given range. Auxiliary HVAC innovations
that do not require forced air are needed, particularly
because quieter HVAC operation also improves
comfort and reduces noise. Solar panels can help to
lower cabin temperatures when parked, reducing ancillary
HVAC loads; Toyota, for one, claims its bZ4X solar
panel roof adds more than 1,000 miles (1606 km) of
annual range, extra power that could be exploited to
reduce battery size.
Putting a value on such efficiency innovations historically
has been justified by needing to meet CAFÉ
regulations and avoid fines. Automakers developed a
" cost-per-pound-saved " metric for internal combustion
engine (ICE) vehicles and because efficiency improvements
can reduce battery mass and cost, a similar
calculation can be made for BEVs. The difference
with ICE vehicles is that a risk premium also should be
added to this calculation, because reducing the battery
size and the amount of required battery materials
will reduce the automaker's vulnerability to availability
and price spikes. If automakers quantitatively assign a
benefit for this risk reduction, then more efficiency
innovations could be justified.
Other strategies that might reduce battery materials
risk rely on reducing consumer range anxiety that
drives the " need " for large batteries. If consumers can
reliably and comfortably recharge at public facilities,
this might reduce the perception that BEVs must have
>300 miles (>483 km) range. Automakers should invest
August 2023 21
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Automotive Engineering - August 2023

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