Due to the increasing demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the need for vehicle battery raw materials is increasing. The traction battery (TB) of an electric vehicle, usually a lithium-ion battery (LIB), represents the largest share of a BEV’s CO₂ footprint. To reduce this carbon footprint sustainably and to keep the raw materials within a closed loop economy, suitable and efficient recycling processes are essential. In this life cycle assessment (LCA), the ecological performance of a waterjet-based direct recycling process with minimal use of resources and energy is evaluated; only the recycling process is considered, waste treatment and credits for by-products are not part of the analysis. Primary data from a performing recycling company were mainly used for the modelling. The study concludes that the recycling of 1 kg of TB is associated with a global warming potential (GWP) of 158 g CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e). Mechanical removal using a water jet was identified as the main driver of the recycling process, followed by an air purification system. Compared to conventional hydro- or pyrometallurgical processes, this waterjet-based recycling process could be attributed an 8 to 26 times lower GWP. With 10% and 20% reuse of recyclate in new cells, the GWP of TBs could be reduced by 4% and 8%, respectively. It has been shown that this recycling approach can be classified as environmentally friendly.

Since environmental benefits and supply chain resilience are commonly assumed for circular economy strategies, this study tests this hypothesis in the context of lithium-ion battery recycling and cell manufacturing. Therefore, the use of recyclates from different cathode active materials and from different recycling routes, namely hydrometallurgy and direct recycling, in a subsequent cell production is modelled with the recyclate quotas prescribed by the amended European Battery Regulation and analysed using life cycle assessment methodology. This study concludes that both, negative and positive environmental impacts can be achieved by the usage of recyclates, depended on the cell technology and the recycling process chosen. Newly constructed lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells using a share of 11.3% of recyclates, which are obtained from LFP cells by a hydrometallurgical process, achieve a deterioration in the ecology by 7.5% for the global warming potential (GWP) compared to LFP cells without any recyclate share at all. For the same recyclate quota scenario, hydrometallurgical recyclates from lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cells (NMC), on the other hand, achieve savings in GWP of up to 1.2%. Recyclates from direct recycling achieve savings in GWP for LPF and NMC of a maximum of 6.3% and 12.3%, by using a recyclate share of 20%. It can be seen that circular economy can raise large savings potentials ecologically, but can also have a contrary effect if not properly applied.

This paper seeks to identify bottlenecks in the energy grid supply regarding different market penetration of battery electric vehicles in Stuttgart, Germany. First, medium-term forecasts of electric and hybrid vehicles and the corresponding charging infrastructure are issued from 2017 to 2030, resulting in a share of 27% electric vehicles by 2030 in the Stuttgart region. Next, interactions between electric vehicles and the local energy system in Stuttgart were examined, comparing different development scenarios in the mobility sector. Further, a travel demand model was used to generate charging profiles of electric vehicles under consideration of mobility patterns. The charging demand was combined with standard household load profiles and a load flow analysis of the peak hour was carried out for a quarter comprising 349 households. The simulation shows that a higher charging capacity can lead to a lower transformer utilization, as charging and household peak load may fall temporally apart. Finally, it was examined whether the existing infrastructure is suitable to meet future demand focusing on the transformer reserve capacity. Overall, the need for action is limited; only 10% of the approximately 560 sub-grids were identified as potential weak points.

Anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) not only enable the fabrication of catalyst-coated membranes without precious metals but are also projected to achieve a technology-readiness level (TRL) suitable for industrial deployment before the end of this decade. Accurate and reproducible water uptake data are essential for guiding AEM design, yet conventional gravimetric methods—relying on manual blotting and loosely defined drying steps—can introduce variabilities exceeding 20%. Here, we present a standardized protocol that transforms water uptake measurements from rough estimates into precise, comparable “hydration fingerprints.” By replacing manual wiping with a calibrated pressure-blotting rig (0.44 N cm⁻² for 10 s twice) and verifying both dry and wet states via ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, we dramatically reduce scatter and align our FAAM-PK-75 (Fumatech, Bietigheim, Germany) results with published benchmarks in DI water, aqueous KOH (0.1–9 M), various alcohols, and controlled humidity (39–96% RH). These uptake profiles reveal how OH⁻ screening, thermal densification at 60 °C, and PEEK reinforcement govern equilibrium hydration. A low-cost salt-bath method for vapor-phase sorption further distinguishes reinforced from unreinforced architectures. Extending the workflow to additional commercial and custom membranes confirms its broad applicability. Ultimately, this work establishes a new benchmark for AEM hydration testing and provides a predictive toolkit for correlating water content with conductivity, dimensional stability, and membrane–ink interactions during catalyst-coated membrane fabrication.