Technological watch

Due to global warming and fast depletion of fossil fuels, the option of battery-operated electric vehicles (EVs) has emerged as one of the most popular alternatives for sustainable transport. In the present study, India is considered as a case country to explore the challenges in sustainable supply chain of electric vehicle batteries. India, being the second most populated country after China and having limited reserves of fossil fuels, has great potential to excel in electric vehicle supply chains. In addition, growth of electric vehicle markets in India is in the emerging phase. With increasing demand for EVs, the industry is facing many challenges for sustainable supply chain of electric vehicle batteries. The lithium-ion battery is a major component of electric vehicles. Many challenges for sustainability of electric vehicle battery supply chains have been extracted through literature review and discussions with industry experts. These challenges may be categorized as operational, technological, economic, environmental and social. Delphi technique is utilized to finalize major challenges for analysis. For further prioritization of these challenges, Best-Worst Method (BWM) is used. Finally, findings of the BWM are validated through an empirical study by collecting responses from 87 respondents. It is observed that ineffective recycling and reuse of batteries, disposal of batteries, and insufficient charging infrastructure are the three most important challenges in EV battery supply chain in India. The findings may be equally relevant in many developing countries having similar technological and infrastructure constraints. It will help policymakers in developing strategies for sustainable transport systems in developing countries.