BATTERY STRATEGIES
“It is only now that we will see how these big
manufacturers approach the subject of recycling”
Professor Rohit Bhagat, chair of electrochemical energy storage, Coventry University
consumption and valuable resources that
must be used in the best possible way,”
says Peter Kössler, member of the board
of management for production and logistics
at Audi AG. “For us, a sustainable electricmobility
strategy also includes a sensible
second-use concept for energy carriers.”
Audi claims that its current factory
fl eet is powered by ageing lead-acid battery
technology, which requires staff to remove
weighty battery packs and charge them at
bespoke docks or stations.
On the other hand, ex-EV lithium-ion
batteries can be charged directly where
the vehicles are parked during downtimes
in breaks between shifts.
A cobalt crisis
There are already a number of high profi le
companies focusing on the messy business of
recycling EV battery technology, with China,
the USA and even Europe getting in on the act.
But many of today’s processes focus on the
retrieval of cobalt, purely because it has the
most value attached to it on the aftermarket.
“Current EV battery packs are made up of
multiple cells, of which most are connected by
numerous joins and welds. This makes end of
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