A Review of Two Decades of Academic Research on Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chains: A Bibliometric Approach

The electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain plays a critical role in promoting sustainable transportation and tackling scarce resources, environmental costs, and supply chain vulnerabilities. The current study aims to conduct an extensive literature review of the EV battery supply chain given its importance for developing sustainable and efficient EVs. Using keyword co-occurrence and article co-citation analyses, this study analyses more than 681 publications from 2005 to 2024 and sourced from the Scopus database. Findings show that the number of articles increased considerably after 2020, which can be attributed to the global focus on decarbonization, electromobility, and circular economy practices. The review identifies important themes such as sustainability challenges, critical materials management, reverse logistics, and policy-driven frameworks for closed-loop supply chains. The findings from this study highlight a multidimensional approach where the integration of technologies, innovative policies, and collaborative actions can contribute to the resilience and sustainability of EV battery supply chains. It offers practical insights for stakeholders, strategic directions to maximize EV battery lifecycle management, and outlines the pathways to reach carbon neutrality in the transportation sector. By identifying the intellectual structure of this emerging field, the study contributes to academic discourse and informs the formulation of practical strategies to advance sustainable mobility.