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A new framework has been developed to help stakeholders—from battery and vehicle manufacturers to drivers to battery recyclers—better understand, anticipate and prepare for the entire life cycle of a battery, allowing them to anticipate trade-offs and consequences and make decisions and set priorities.

The research team, which was led by the Center for Sustainable Systems (CSS), housed in the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), worked with car companies, battery developers and policy makers to develop the framework, and assessed economic, environmental and social trade-offs and outlooks from the perspective of stakeholders across the entire battery life cycle.

“I think of it as a break-out story. How do we break out of this complex puzzle where we’re trying to benefit the environment, to help the industry compete and to be cost-effective for consumers?” said Greg Keoleian, a professor at SEAS. Keoleian, who is also the co-director of CSS, is the senior author of the new study.

The assessments also underscored the various challenges facing EVs from various perspectives, including an oil industry with federal support and a vested interest in internal combustion engine vehicles. Still, Keoleian says he is optimistic the framework can help accelerate EV transition.

The research was funded by the Responsible Battery Coalition, and the research team also included Christian Hitt, a CSS research area specialist; Elliot Busta, a research assistant with the CSS and the U-M Electric Vehicle Center; Timothy Wallington, a CSS research specialist; and Hyung Chul Kim, a research scientist with Ford Motor Co. Experts with GM, Ford, Toyota, Dow Chemicals, the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Geological Service and Clarios, a leader in manufacturing batteries for the automotive industry, were consulted on this study.

Read the full press release on the Michigan News website.

Study: Framework and drivers for sustainable life cycle management of electric vehicle batteries (DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2026.123094)