Coping with the challenges of battery logistics: Analysis and application of supply chain decision indicators for sustainable and circular logistics for vehicle batteries

Vehicle batteries as a key technology are experiencing a strong upswing in production and take-back due to the growth of electromobility. Both the urgency and the requirements for efficient logistics networks are growing. In addition, there is the dependency on other countries because Europe is poor in certain raw materials. Logistics processes extend across borders, since battery electric vehicles are used widespread in the world. Knowledge transfer takes place only to a limited extent due to competitive pressure, but with a simultaneous demand for transparency. Lack of capacities and inefficiencies in supply chains and reverse logistics networks weaken the benefits of electric vehicles. In order to meet the challenges mentioned above, KPIs were collected in this paper based on a literature review and discussions with experts from the industry, which are recommended to evaluate supply chains in the context of sustainability and circularity.