Life-Cycle Carbon Emissions of Electric Vehicles in China: A Review

Abstract

Accelerating the low-carbon transition of transport is essential to addressing global climate change. Although the rapid growth of the electric vehicle (EV) fleet highlights the environmental benefits of electrified mobility, carbon-intensive upstream electricity generation and energy-intensive battery production continue to constrain the life-cycle emissions reduction potential of EVs. Focusing on China, this structured narrative review examines 121 core references from 2004 to 2026 to synthesize carbon-accounting methods and emissions across the manufacturing, use, and end-of-life stages. A supplementary keyword co-occurrence analysis of 1180 Web of Science records provides an overview of the research field. The reviewed evidence indicates that embodied emissions from manufacturing account for more than 30% of total life-cycle emissions, making this stage important to life-cycle decarbonization. The use stage offers the greatest emissions reduction potential and is closely linked to regional grid carbon intensity and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) scheduling. At the end of life, second-life battery use and closed-loop recycling can reduce the burden associated with initial production and support material circularity. Drawing on these findings and the development of China’s EV industry, this review proposes decarbonization pathways for enterprises and policymakers to support the coordinated development of the transport and energy sectors.