Battery Electric Vehicle Assumptions

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) use a battery pack to store the electrical energy that powers the motor. The batteries are charged by plugging the vehicle into an electric power source (DOE, 2024). For additional background, see the Alternative Fuels Data Center's All-Electric Vehicles webpage.

The battery cost assumptions used in the ATB modeled vehicle price trajectories are shown next and are presented at the battery pack level. Battery costs are shown in constant 2020 dollars per unit of total rated capacity. Refer to Islam et al. (Islam et al., 2023) for further detail and assumptions about battery performance, energy density, chemistry, and retail price equivalency.

The ATB Mid trajectory corresponds with the Base performance, Low technology progress case in Islam et al. (Islam et al., 2023), which reaches approximately $85/kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2050 for light-duty vehicles and medium-/heavy-duty vehicles. The ATB Advanced trajectory follows the Base performance, High technology progress case, which reaches approximately $57/kWh in 2050 for light-duty vehicles and $59/kWh for medium-/heavy-duty vehicles.

Values for BEV fuel economy incorporate losses associated with vehicle charging (both for the on-board charger and for electric vehicle supply equipment [EVSE]). Charging loss assumptions used in Islam et al. (Islam et al., 2023) are shown next.

References

The following references are specific to this page; for all references in this ATB, see References.

DOE. “Alternative Fuels Data Center,” 2024. https://afdc.energy.gov/.

Islam, Ehsan Sabri, Daniela Nieto Prada, Ram Vijayagopal, Charbel Mansour, Paul Phillips, Namdoo Kim, Michel Alhajjar, and Aymeric Rousseau. “Detailed Simulation Study to Evaluate Future Transportation Decarbonization Potential.” Report to the US Department of Energy, Contract ANL/TAPS-23/3. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States), October 2023. https://anl.app.box.com/s/hv4kufocq3leoijt6v0wht2uddjuiff4.