Environmental Impact Evaluations of automotive Lithium-ion Batteries’ first and second life

In the transition to cleaner mobility, electric vehicles and their primary power source, batteries, are of paramount importance. Depending on the degrees of hybridization of an electric vehicle, the battery can have different sizes. Usually, lithium-ion batteries are employed. Several life cycle assessment studies have been performed to compare these vehicles with the internal combustion engine vehicles and understand the environmental impact of this battery technology production. This article aims to review life cycle assessments on lithium-ion batteries for automotive application, with a focus on the European scenario. The first part is a critical analysis of papers performing a life cycle assessment of the battery technologies for electric vehicle application. The second part of the paper will be devoted to the battery’s end of life, analyzing the different recycling methods and the possibility of a second life for the used battery.