BATTERY STRATEGIES
Spiers New
Technologies
works with the
logistics, analysis
and screening of
old battery packs
“There is so much value in every battery pack.
We need the metals so why would we mine
if we could simply recycle?”
Dirk Spiers, CEO, Spiers New Technologies
www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com // July 2019 // 113
TIPPING POINT
“In the UK it’s illegal to send
waste automotive batteries
for incineration or to
landfill. At present the low
volumes currently reaching
end-of-life in the UK, and
other uncertainties, have
a negative impact on the
economic viability of
a battery recycling system,”
explains Dr Anthony
Hartwell, project leader of
the Faraday Institution’s
ReLiB project.
“Some have been used in
second life applications and
others have been shipped
to Europe for recycling.
However, transporting
lithium ion batteries can
be problematic, and as
the volume of end of
life material increases it
would make sense to have
recycling capabilities in the
UK. Globally, the greatest
challenge is develop a
process that can achieve
a high level of recovery of
the materials contained in
a battery cell and module
when it is no longer viable
as an energy storage
device,” Hartwell explains.
chemistry as BMW moves away from a reliance
on the chemical element.
“The big problem for most current recycling
methods is that it is all geared towards cobalt
recovery. As cobalt content is reduced over the
coming years, recyclers are making slimmer
margins and therefore demanding greater fees
for their services. This could actually have the
negative eff ect of deterring OEMs from doing
the right thing,” adds Professor Bhagat.
However, there are a number of voices in the
industry that simply don’t think this is the case
and that it is in every OEM’s best interest to
recover as much from ageing battery packs
as possible. Dirk Spiers, CEO of Spiers New
Technologies, a full-service provider of 4R
services (repair, remanufacturing, refurbishing
and repurposing) for advanced battery packs
used in hybrid and electric vehicles, is one
of these voices and believes that very little,
if anything, needs to be sent to landfi ll.
“There is so much value in every battery
pack. We need the metals so why would we
mine if we could simply recycle? Because of
this, I think all lithium ion battery packs will
be recycled in the future,” explains Spiers.
Upcycle initiatives
Spiers New Technologies is one of the leading
companies in the USA off ering a one stop
solution for battery life cycle management,
which includes logistics, analysis and screening
of battery packs and their repair and
refurbishment.
It is this fi nal aspect that is proving most
common among the business cases that arrive
at the 300,000ft (27,870m) facility in
Oklahoma City, with Spiers claiming as little
as 10% of the 200,000 or so batteries it deals
with every month actually require recycling.
“We are fi nding that even in the very
fi rst-generation cars, such as the Opel Ampera,
the battery packs are still functioning very well
after 300,000 miles of use. The degradation is
very low and the success rate in repair and
refurbishment is extremely high. This presents
the best value for money business case for
the client, too,” Spiers explains.
Each individual cell is meticulously analyzed
to see how it is functioning, while Spiers New
Technology can then repackage those lower
performing cells into its own Watt Tower
energy storage system. If these two steps fail,
the company also looks after recycling.
“We are working with a number of
companies that are exploring new cathode
to cathode recycling methods,” Spiers reveals.
“Eventually, I think you will see a system
where the cathode powder you extract, which
is often the most expensive part of any battery
pack, can be taken out and put directly into
new cells. That is a true closed looped system.
It will be as game changer,” he adds.
/www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com