CNU research explains how boosting consumer trust unlocks the $4 billion market for retired EV batteries
The researchers link trust and transparent inspections to widespread adoption of second-life EV battery tech
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Scientists uncover why local vs. general acceptance is crucial for new energy storage projects.
view moreCredit: Jongdae Kim from Chonnam National University
Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining unprecedented popularity across the globe, with their number reaching 26 million in 2022 and expected to grow eightfold by the end of the decade. While EVs represent the next-generation technology for transport decarbonization, they are expected to lead to the issue of retired battery management. Notably, EV batteries are utilized only until their capacity reduces to 70-80%, meaning an average lifespan of 8-to-10 years. Therefore, the volume of retired batteries is going to rise rapidly by 2030.
To mitigate this problem, scientists have ingeniously come up with two strategies: recycling valuable elements like cobalt and nickel from old EV batteries and reusing the batteries in energy storage systems. The latter solution offers low electricity generation costs and emissions, making it a highly lucrative option. However, it faces challenges in public acceptance when compared with energy storage systems that utilize new batteries.
In an innovative study, a team of researchers from the Republic of Korea, including Hwarang Lee, an associate research fellow at the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI), and Jongdae Kim, an assistant professor of marketing in the College of Business Administration, Chonnam National University, has explored the local as well as general acceptance of energy storage systems based on repurposed EV batteries. Their findings were made available online on 1 October 2025 and have been recently published in Volume 137 of the Journal of Energy Storage on 30 November 2025.
In this study, the researchers conducted a consumer survey, performed the confirmatory factor analysis to validate their measurement model, and subsequently developed a structural equation model to analyze the structure of consumer acceptance in terms of trust in companies, environmental identity, and innovativeness.
Dr. Lee says: “The key contribution of our work lies in distinguishing local from general acceptance of retired electric vehicle battery energy storage systems and empirically showing that perceived risks, perceived benefits, and affect operate differently by context. By separating these acceptance types, our research uncovers why people may support battery reuse at the societal level yet resist installations near their homes, offering a clearer understanding of Not In My BackYard dynamics in energy technology adoption.”
The present results can directly inform how companies and policymakers design public communication, safety verification, and installation strategies for retired electric vehicle battery energy storage systems projects. Dr. Kim points out: “Firms can emphasize transparent safety inspections to build trust and tailor messaging depending on whether installations are local or remote—thereby improving adoption outcomes. Implementing institute certification programs that exhibit low explosion risk may also bolster public confidence. Additionally, companies may benefit from targeting innovative consumers, who are more likely to adopt new technologies early and contribute to word-of-mouth effects.”
As retired electric vehicle batteries become a major resource for energy storage, this research may shape long-term policy frameworks that enhance public trust, standardize safety processes, and reduce social resistance to circular battery systems. “Over time, the resulting increase in acceptance can accelerate renewable integration, lower energy costs, and expand sustainable energy storage system deployment—making cleaner, more resilient energy infrastructures a visible part of everyday life,” concludes Dr. Kim.
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Reference
DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2025.118612
About the Institute
Chonnam National University (CNU), established in 1952 as Korea’s first national university, is a leading institution of higher learning located in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province. Building on its founding commitment to cultivating leaders of integrity and professional excellence, CNU contributes to national development and global progress through the pursuit of knowledge, ethical responsibility, and inclusive excellence. Guided by the core motto “Truth, Creativity, and Service,” the university advances research, education, and public engagement that strengthen resilient societies, foster sustainable development, and promote the well-being of future generations. As a trusted partner in the global community, CNU remains dedicated to addressing complex challenges in an increasingly interconnected world.
Website: https://global.jnu.ac.kr/jnumain_en.aspx
About the authors
Hwarang Lee earned his degree from Seoul National University and is currently an associate research fellow at the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI). His primary research interests include energy policy, long-term energy outlooks, and energy modeling.
Jongdae Kim earned his Ph.D. from Seoul National University and currently works as an assistant professor of marketing in the College of Business Administration, Chonnam National University. His research interest lies in empirical modelling of consumer behavior, entertainment marketing, digital marketing, and corporate social responsibility.
Journal
Journal of Energy Storage
Method of Research
Survey
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Consumers' local and general acceptance of energy storage systems utilizing retired electric vehicle batteries
Adoption of electric vehicles tied to real-world reductions in air pollution, study finds
Using satellite data, Keck School of Medicine of USC researchers reported the first statistically significant decrease in nitrogen dioxide linked to zero-emissions vehicles
When California neighborhoods increased their number of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV) between 2019 and 2023, they also experienced a reduction in air pollution. For every 200 vehicles added, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels dropped 1.1%. The results, obtained from a new analysis based on statewide satellite data, are among the first to confirm the environmental health benefits of ZEVs, which include fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars, in the real world. The study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and just published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
While the shift to electric vehicles is largely aimed at curbing climate change in the future, it is also expected to improve air quality and benefit public health in the near term. But few studies have tested that assumption with actual data, partly because ground-level air pollution monitors have limited spatial coverage. A 2023 study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC using these ground-level monitors suggested that ZEV adoption was linked to lower air pollution, but the results were not definitive.
Now, the same research team has confirmed the link with high-resolution satellite data, which can detect NO₂ in the atmosphere by measuring how the gas absorbs and reflects sunlight. The pollutant, released from burning fossil fuels, can trigger asthma attacks, cause bronchitis, and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
“This immediate impact on air pollution is really important because it also has an immediate impact on health. We know that traffic-related air pollution can harm respiratory and cardiovascular health over both the short and long term,” said Erika Garcia, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and the study’s senior author.
The findings offer support for the continued adoption of electric vehicles. Over the study period, ZEV registrations increased from 2% to 5% of all light-duty vehicles (a category that includes cars, SUVs, pickup trucks and vans) across California, suggesting that the potential for improving air pollution and public health remains largely untapped.
“We’re not even fully there in terms of electrifying, but our research shows that California’s transition to electric vehicles is already making measurable differences in the air we breathe,” said the study’s lead author, Sandrah Eckel, PhD, associate professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine.
Tracking neighborhood air quality
For the analysis, the researchers divided California into 1,692 neighborhoods, using a geographic unit similar to zip codes. They obtained publicly available data from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles on the number of ZEVs registered in each neighborhood. ZEVs include full-battery electric cars, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell cars, but not heavier duty vehicles like delivery trucks and semi-trucks.
Next, the research team obtained data from the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), a high-resolution satellite sensor that provides daily, global measurements of NO₂ and other pollutants. They used this data to calculate annual average NO₂ levels in each California neighborhood from 2019 to 2023.
Over the study period, a typical neighborhood gained 272 ZEVs, with most neighborhoods adding between 18 and 839. For every 200 new ZEVs registered, NO₂ levels dropped 1.1%, a measurable improvement in air quality.
“These findings show that cleaner air isn’t just a theory—it’s already happening in communities across California,” Eckel said.
Electric vehicles and public health
To confirm that these results were reliable, the researchers conducted several additional analyses. They accounted for pandemic-related changes as a contributor to NO₂ decline, such as excluding the year 2020 and controlling for changing gas prices and work-from-home patterns. The researchers also confirmed that neighborhoods that added more gas-powered cars saw the expected rise in pollution. Finally, they replicated their results using updated data from ground-level monitors from 2012 to 2023.
“We tested our analysis in many different ways, and the results consistently support our main finding,” Garcia said.
These results show that TROPOMI satellite data—which covers nearly the entire planet—can reliably track changes in combustion-related air pollution, offering a new way to study the effects of the transition to electric vehicles and other environmental interventions.
Next, Garcia, Eckel and their team are comparing data on ZEV adoption with data on asthma-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations across California. The study could be one of the first to document real-world health improvements as California continues to embrace electric vehicles.
About this research
In addition to Garcia and Eckel, the study’s other authors are Futu Chen, Sam J. Silva and Jill Johnston from the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California; Daniel L. Goldberg from the Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University; Lawrence A. Palinkas from the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego; and Alberto Campos and Wilma Franco from the Southeast Los Angeles Collaborative.
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences [R01ES035137, P30ES007048]; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team [80NSSC21K0511]; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Atmospheric Composition Modeling and Analysis Program [80NSSC23K1002].
Journal
The Lancet Planetary Health
Method of Research
Meta-analysis
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Zero-emissions vehicle adoption and satellite-measured NO2 air pollution in California, USA, from 2019 to 2023: a longitudinal observational study
Article Publication Date
22-Jan-2026
COI Statement
EG reports stock in Tesla and Rivian Automotive, all outside the submitted work, a competing interest managed by the University of Southern California (USC) Health Science Campus Conflict of Interest Review Committee including independent review of data collection and analyses. SPE reports a spouse who works in emissions testing for a major automobile manufacturer, a competing interest managed by the USC Health Science Campus Conflict of Interest Review Committee including independent review of data collection and analyses. All other authors declare no competing interests.
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