Methodology
Methodological formulation of end-of-life decision models requires resolving how systemic market displacements evolve across extended operating horizons. When evaluating electric vehicle battery pathways, assessing cascaded second-life applications against immediate material reclamation necessitates a prospective consequential life cycle assessment framework. Reusing, repurposing, and recycling lithium-ion batteries serve as vital operational pathways that mitigate broader ecological burdens by extending component lifespans and curtailing industrial reliance on virgin critical materials such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium (7819539). However, because cascaded secondary utilization deliberately postpones the direct metallurgical reclamation of these critical elements, inventory modeling must explicitly account for the time-dependent degradation of secondary cells alongside the prospective decarbonization of primary energy supply chains. To operationalize these intricate temporal mechanics, the methodological architecture adopts a prospective dynamic classification wherein physical flows, background processes, and induced market consequences are propagated forward from the point of decision (crossref-10-2139-ssrn-7070559). This modeling typology ensures that the avoided burdens attributable to stationary grid storage displacement are evaluated against evolving marginal electricity generation rather than static historical baselines. Furthermore, tracking systemic linkages dynamically over time prevents analytical distortion in the estimation of avoided virgin mineral refining, as future technological efficiencies in hydrometallurgical recovery and shifts in battery chemistries alter substitution equivalence. Incorporating consequential market propagation directly into inventory boundary expansion thus establishes an empirically robust basis for evaluating net systemic environmental impacts across cascading circular pathways.