Impact of Topology-Optimized EV Battery Heat Sink Manufactured with Binder Jetting on the Environment and Life Cycle Costs

This study evaluated the cooling performance of an electric vehicle heat sink manufactured using additive manufacturing (AM) with a topology-optimized design, compared with a conventionally manufactured pin-fin heat sink. The experimental results showed that the topology-optimized heat sink improved the cell cooling coefficient by up to 42.6% compared to the conventional heat sink, leading to an estimated 7.6% extension in battery lifetime. This study also assessed the environmental and life cycle cost (LCC) implications of this extended battery life, revealing that battery production emits approximately seven tons of CO2-equivalent (CO2-eq) greenhouse gases per pack; however, longer battery life reduces the frequency of battery replacement and the overall demand for battery production. Under a scenario where the topology-optimized heat sink achieves a 15% market penetration by 2040, the cumulative reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions is projected to reach 2.4 MtCO2-eq. LCC analysis further indicated that despite the higher manufacturing cost of the AM heat sink, the increased battery longevity lowers total operating cost by approximately 5.3%. These findings show that enhanced functionality of optimized components can simultaneously improve performance and reduce LCC. This study’s evaluation framework for assessing environmental impacts and costs across the product life cycle provides a transparent and consistent basis for selecting appropriate manufacturing technologies for component production.