Prioritizing Barriers to Reverse Logistics of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles

Over the past few years, the number of newly registered EVs (electric vehicles), hybrid, and plug-in hybrid EVs has rapidly increased in the markets across the globe
^1
1
https://www.iea.org/publications/reports/globalevoutlook2019/. All these vehicles are categorized as battery-operated EVs, carrying Lithium-ion batteries as their fueling battery technology. Due to the narrow area where lithium-ion batteries operate, the problem of environmental, geostrategic, and economic issues need effective management and control. However, if the rate at which lithium-ion batteries are recycled remains at a low level, it will cause a considerable increase in battery demand, which could reach a shortage level soon, and secondly, it will lead to exponential growth in hazardous waste. Thus, this paper aims to identify roadblocks/barriers to reverse logistics of Lithium-Ion batteries. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy AHP give precedence to the barriers of Reverse logistics adoption. The study has identified 24 barriers under five constructs using expert opinion and a literature review. The results of this work indicate that Organizational, Technological, and Strategic factors are the three major roadblocks to RL adoption.