Electric vehicle batteries: what is the second life?

Recycling and reusing electric vehicle batteries is an important element in reducing their environmental impact and their contribution to the energy transition. This is why it is extremely important and mandatory to return a used electric vehicle battery to a professional (garage owner or auto parts dealer) so that it can be returned to the correct recycling channel.

How are electric vehicle batteries reused?

Today we know how to generate enough electricity for everyday use. We also know how to transport electricity, but energy storage remains a topic of discussion, especially with the development of clean energy sources, the place and time of production of which we do not necessarily control.

If EV batteries lose capacity after ten years of use in an EV and need to be replaced, they still have an interesting capacity and can therefore continue to be used for other purposes. We believe that below 70% to 80% of their capacity, batteries are no longer efficient enough to be used in an electric vehicle.

Second life of electric vehicle batteries with Nissan and Audi

Innovative applications are evolving and the possibilities are nearly endless. In Amsterdam, the Johan Cruijff Arena uses about 150 Nissan Leaf batteries. This setting allows store the energy generated by 4200 solar panels installed on the roof of the stadium and provide up to 2,8 MWh per hour. For its part, the car manufacturer Audi has developed a nomadic charging system from used batteries from its Audi e-tron electric vehicles. The charging container contains approximately 11 used batteries. They can offer up to 20 charging points: 8 high power 150 kW chargers and 12 11 kW chargers.

Used EV batteries are reused in your homes

The battery capacity of electric vehicles can also be targeted at household use to stimulate their own consumption and the use of sustainable energy sources. Several manufacturers already offer this, such as Tesla (Powerwall), BMW, Nissan (xStorage), Renault (Powervault) or even Mercedes. These household batteries can, for example, allow storage of the energy generated by solar panels and guarantee the complete autonomy of an external electrical system. In this way, people can lower their energy costs by making the installation of a self-powered fireplace cost effective. The stored energy can be used day or night for daily use. Energy stored and produced by solar panels can also be sold in the electrical system when not in use.

For Renault, second life of their batteries through Powervault can extend the battery life of electric vehicles by 5-10 years.

Utilization of batteries of electric vehicles.

At the end of their service life, batteries can be recycled at special sorting centers. Despite the fact that most of the batteries in circulation are still far from the stage of recycling, the process of their recycling has already started and makes it possible to cure faulty batteries or batteries affected by accidents. Today, about 15 tons of electric vehicle batteries are recycled per year. It is estimated that with the growth of electromobility by 000, almost 2035 tons of batteries will have to be disposed of.

During recycling, batteries are crushed before being placed in the oven for recover various materials that can then be reused in the manufacture of other products. Directive 2006/66 / EC states that at least 50% of electrical battery components are recyclable. SNAM (Société Nouvelle d'Affinage des Métaux) claims that we able to recycle up to 80% of battery cells... Many car manufacturers such as Peugeot, Toyota and Honda are also working with SNAM to recycle their batteries.

The battery recycling industry and new applications are growing and we will further improve our recycling capabilities over the next few years.

More and more sustainable methods for recycling electrical batteries

In fact, the battery recycling sector has already become the subject of significant technological progress: the German company Duesenfeld has developed a “cold” recycling method rather than heating batteries to high temperatures. This process allows you to consume 70% less energy and therefore emit less greenhouse gases. This method will also recover 85% of the materials in new batteries!

Notable innovations in this sector include the ReLieVe project (recycling lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles). Launched in January 2020 and developed by Suez, Eramet and BASF, this project aims to develop an innovative recycling process for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Their goal is to recycle 100% of electric vehicle batteries by 2025.

If electric vehicles are sometimes given off because their batteries pollute the environment, their recyclability becomes a reality. Undoubtedly, there are still many unexplored opportunities for reuse of the latter that will allow the electric vehicle to play a fundamental role in the ecological transition throughout its entire life cycle.