Prospects of imported energy storage vehicles

Can electric vehicle batteries satisfy stationary battery storage demand in the EU?

Xu et al. (2023) have concluded that electric vehicle batteries can satisfy stationary battery storage demand in the EU by as early as 2030, but they did not consider the resource implications of displacing new stationary batteries (NSBs) by V2G and SLBs 15.

What role does energy storage play in the transport sector?

In the transport sector, the increasing electrification of road transport through plug-in hybrids and, most importantly, battery electric vehicles leads to a massive rise in battery demand. Energy storage, in particular battery energy storage, is projected to play an increasingly important role in the electricity sector.

Will electric vehicle batteries cover Europe's battery demand by 2040?

Europe is becoming increasingly dependent on battery material imports. Here, authors show that electric vehicle batteries could fully cover Europe’s need for stationary battery storage by 2040, through either vehicle-to-grid or second-life-batteries, and reduce battery material demand by up to 7.5%.

How will electric vehicles affect the transport sector?

In the transport sector, a combination of falling electric vehicle costs, government subsidies and support for the development of a charging infrastructure, as well as standards favoring electric and other zero emission vehicles is projected to lead to a massive increase in the global electric vehicle fleet.

Why is battery energy storage a key technology in light-duty vehicles?

Battery electric vehicles become the dominant technology in the light-duty vehicle segment in all scenarios. In the electricity sector, battery energy storage emerges as one of the key solutions to provide flexibility to a power system that sees sharply rising flexibility needs, driven by the fast-rising share of variable renewables.

Are electric vehicles a good option for the energy transition?

Our estimates are generally conservative and offer a lower bound of future opportunities. Renewable energy and electric vehicles will be required for the energy transition, but the global electric vehicle battery capacity available for grid storage is not constrained.