Electric vehicle battery reuse: Preparing for a second life
Abstract: On pursue of
economic revenue, the second life of electric vehicle batteries is closer to
reality. Common electric vehicles reach the end of life when batteries loss
between a 20 or 30% of its capacity. However, battery technology is evolving
fast and the next generation of electric vehicles will have between 300 and 400
km range. This study will analyze different End of Life scenarios according to
battery capacity and their possible second life’s opportunities. Additionally,
an analysis of the electric vehicle market will define possible locations for
battery repurposing or remanufacturing plants.
Design/methodology/approach: Calculating the barycenter of the electric
vehicle market offers an optimal location to settle the battery repurposing
plant from a logistic and environmental perspective.
This paper presents several possible applications and remanufacture
processes of EV batteries according to the state of health after their
collection, analyzing both the direct reuse of the battery and the module
dismantling strategy.
Findings: The study presents that Netherlands is the best location for
installing a battery repurposing plant because of its closeness to EV
manufacturers and the potential European EV markets, observing a strong
relation between the EV market share and the income per capita.
15% of the batteries may be send back to the an EV as a reposition
battery, 60% will be prepared for stationary or high capacity installations
such as grid services, residential use, Hybrid trucks or electric boats, and
finally, the remaining 25% is to be dismantled into modules or cells for
smaller applications, such as bicycles or assisting robots.
Originality/value: Most of studies related to the EV battery reuse take
for granted that they will all have an 80% of its capacity. This study analyzes
and proposes a distribution of battery reception and presents different 2nd
life alternatives according to their state of health.
Author: Lluc Canals Casals,
Beatriz Amante GarcÃa, Lázaro V. Cremades
Journal Code: jptindustrigg170004
