A Million-Mile Battery: For More Than Just Electric Vehicles

The briefing examines how advancements in battery longevity, specifically reducing degradation and increasing cycle life, can unlock new economic opportunities and technical capabilities. It highlights that while energy density and price are common focuses, cycle life is the primary barrier to the widespread adoption of fast charging, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration, and the use of second-life batteries for long-duration grid storage. The author suggests that standardized chemistries and better monitoring are necessary to build a viable second-life battery ecosystem.

• Improvements in battery cycle life are essential for the viability of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services, as current degradation rates make the required incentive pricing for grid balancing prohibitively high and discourage warranty providers.
• Enhanced battery longevity would improve the economics of long-duration storage projects by reducing the need for developers to overbuild energy capacity by 10 to 30 percent as a buffer against degradation.
• Second-life lithium-ion batteries offer a potential low-cost solution for long-duration storage, but their adoption is currently hindered by variability in battery health, safety concerns, and a lack of shared manufacturer standards.
• While lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries offer longer cycle lives than NMC or NCA chemistries, their expected price floor of approximately $60/kWh may be too expensive for seasonal long-duration storage.

APA

RMI (2020). A Million-Mile Battery: For More Than Just Electric Vehicles. https://rmi.org/resources/a-million-mile-battery-for-more-than-just-electric-vehicles/

Chicago

RMI. A Million-Mile Battery: For More Than Just Electric Vehicles. 2020. https://rmi.org/resources/a-million-mile-battery-for-more-than-just-electric-vehicles/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=A Million-Mile Battery: For More Than Just Electric Vehicles |date=24 June 2020 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/a-million-mile-battery-for-more-than-just-electric-vehicles/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2020millionmile, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{A Million-Mile Battery: For More Than Just Electric Vehicles}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/a-million-mile-battery-for-more-than-just-electric-vehicles/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }