Systems trade-off explorer
Change the boundary, change the answer
Pick a system, then walk through how the Center frames its central trade-off. These storylines are qualitative by design — direction of change, not new numbers.
Mobility Systems
Electrification and the materials it depends on
Step 01 · Boundary
An electric vehicle is often compared with a conventional one at the tailpipe. A life cycle view adds battery materials, electricity supply and end of life.
Step 02 · Shift
Use-phase emissions become lower and more dependent on the grid, while material and battery production become a larger share of total impact.
Step 03 · Consequence
The strongest levers sit outside the vehicle: how electricity is generated, how batteries are made, and what happens to them afterward.
Read next
Every storyline points back to published work
The explorer is an on-ramp. The Center's publications and factsheets carry the detail, the data and the citations.