Recently, the research team led by Sun Mingyang, a researcher at the School of Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics, Peking University, published a comprehensive research article in the top-tier climate science journal Nature Climate Change, titled 'Advances in Electric Vehicle Battery Technology Offset Durability Challenges Induced by Climate Change'. The study highlights that electric vehicles (EVs), as a core pathway for decarbonization in the transportation sector, have battery performance and lifespan that are highly sensitive to extreme temperature variations. Extreme high temperatures resulting from climate change accelerate battery degradation, while extreme low temperatures also exert negative effects, potentially shortening battery lifespan, increasing usage costs, suppressing EV adoption, and elevating lifecycle carbon emissions. However, continuous advancements in battery technology, including optimization of thermal management systems, enhanced thermal stability of cathode and anode materials, and improved electrolyte formulations, have significantly bolstered batteries' resistance to aging under extreme high temperatures. By constructing a bottom-up integrated simulation framework and incorporating data from global climate models, the study systematically assessed EV battery lifespans across 300 major cities worldwide. The findings reveal that under a global warming scenario of 2°C, the average lifespan of conventional batteries declines by approximately 8%, with a maximum reduction of 30%. In contrast, with the adoption of new battery technologies, the average lifespan decline is limited to just 3%, with the maximum reduction narrowing to 10%. Even under an extreme warming scenario of 4°C, the lifespan of new batteries still surpasses the baseline lifespan of conventional batteries under historical climate conditions. Additionally, the study uncovers regional equity characteristics in battery lifespan changes, noting that climate warming imposes a more severe impact on battery lifespan in countries and regions with lower per capita GDP. New battery technologies effectively mitigate this inequality trend. Based on these findings, the study recommends that international standardization organizations such as the IEC incorporate forward-looking climate projections into battery reliability testing frameworks. It also calls for strengthened technology transfer, climate financing, and capacity-building initiatives to support developing countries in accessing and deploying the latest battery technologies.
