New University of Michigan Study: Electric Vehicle Charging Methods Can Impact Emissions

July 13, 2021

Research Finds that Optimizing EV Delivery Vehicles’ Charging Practices can Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by as Much as 37%WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC) today applauded the release of new research on improving electric delivery vehicle charging strategies from the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. The study found that as much as 80 percent of emissions from electric delivery vehicles batteries occurs during charging phases. A link to the study can be found here.“As electric vehicles become an even greater part of our nation’s supply and delivery systems, enhancing battery charging methods to reduce emissions and lengthen battery lifetime are critically important steps toward developing a true circular economy for vehicle batteries,” said RBC Executive Director Steve Christensen. “The Responsible Battery coalition is proud to support the work of the University of Michigan that will lead to more sustainable battery usage and recycling practices.”Major transportation companies in the U.S. supply and delivery chains are making strides to develop electric delivery fleets. By 2040, RBC member FedEx plans to be fully electric and several other major companies have made significant investments in electric vehicles. RBC provided support for the University of Michigan study, which found that poor charging practices can shorten battery life, leading to faster replacement times and increasing the vehicle’s total greenhouse gas emissions.The RBC is the premier coalition of major stakeholders in the battery manufacturing, use, sales and recycling sectors, and continues to deliver next step life cycle management for all vehicle and industrial batteries regardless of chemistry. By partnering with leading stakeholders in the battery supply chain, key thought leaders, and the nation’s top research institutions, the RBC develops scientifically validated and commercially viable solutions for the responsible management of today’s batteries and those yet to be imagined. The RBC, its prominent members, as well as research institutions, including Argonne Laboratories, the University of Michigan, and others, recently launched an EV initiative dedicated to applying the knowledge and best practices of the ‘circular economy’ that has been achieved for lead acid batteries to Lithium-ion batteries used in EVs.

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About the Responsible Battery CoalitionThe RBC is a coalition of companies, academics, and organizations committed to the responsible management of the batteries of today and tomorrow. RBC was created in April 2017 to advance the responsible production, transport, sale, use, reuse, recycling and resource recovery of transportation, industrial and stationary batteries and other energy storage devices.RBC members include:Advance Auto PartsAutoZoneClariosClub CarEnvironmental RestorationFedExFord Motor CompanyHonda Motor CompanyLafargeHolcimLi-CycleO’Reilly Auto PartsRenova EnergyTerracycleWalmartFor more information: https://www.responsiblebatterycoalition.org/