Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Alissa Kendall and Team’s Research on U.S. EV Battery Crisis Catches Attention

Professor Alissa Kendall
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Alissa Kendall

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Alissa Kendall is at the forefront of new research that explores the increasing need to reduce the size of batteries in new electric vehicles, or EVs. The  first-of-its-kind research has been covered by Wired, Forbes, The HillThe Guardian among other media outlets.  

While the growing number of EVs sold each year is a boon for the environment in reducing noxious carbon emissions, the demand for mining the minerals that make the batteries that power them and disposing of them at the end of their lifespan.  

Kendall’s team doesn’t propose eliminating mining for elements like lithium, just mining less of it by making smaller EV batteries and becoming less reliant on vehicles in general.  

To that end, their report suggests reordering the U.S. transportation system through policy and spending shifts to prioritize public and active transit while reducing car dependency. According to Kendall and her team, reducing car dependency combined with smaller EV batteries can decrease the demand for lithium by 18 to 66 percent. Even if the U.S. remains a car-centric society, smaller EV batteries can reduce lithium demand by as much as 42 percent.  

Read the full report at Climate and Community Project

Primary Category

Secondary Categories

Research

Tags