Electric vehicles are central to the clean-energy transition, but the way their batteries are sourced and manufactured still carries a sizable environmental footprint.
Research from Annick Anctil, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan State, shows that decisions about reshoring and friendshoring the battery supply chain can meaningfully shift that footprint, for better or worse.
Anctil and team’s analysis reveals that offshored battery materials often lead to the highest carbon and water impacts, largely because key inputs are produced in regions with carbon-intensive electricity.