Electric vehicle (EV) batteries could enjoy a long and varied existence in multiple applications, far beyond their original use case in the car. The general consensus is that once an EV battery’s capacity falls to 70-80%, it is no longer fit to power the vehicle and should be retired. But that need not entail a trip straight to the landfill or even the recycling facility. Researchers at the European-wide REBELION (research and development of a highly automated and safe streamlined process for increased lithium-ion battery repurposing and recycling) project are currently exploring ways to facilitate additional lives—and make money from the process.
“REBELION is all about making the use cycle and value chain of lithium-ion batteries more efficient and profitable,” says Guillermo Sanchez Plaza, Technology Director at the Nanophotonics Technology Center at the Universitat Politechnica de Valenica, one of the project partners.
