End-Of-Life Solutions for eCar-Batteries – Development of Product-Service Systems and Information Systems for Decision Support

An immature battery technology appears to be the crucial obstacle for a large diffusion of electric mobility in Germany. One core argument are the high costs of eCar batteries which cause electric vehicles to be about three times more expensive than vehicles with a compression ignition (CI) engine. The still small number of produced electric vehicles conversely impede realizing economies of scale to full extent. This deadlock prevents the comprehensive diffusion of electric mobility.

To decrease the eCar batteries’ Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) the depleted batteries have to be reused  after their first life-cycle ((so-called) End-of-(First-)Life, EOL). For example the eCar batteries can be recycled within a stationary application for their so-called Second Life (e.g. for backup memory in wind parks or as power unit for counterbalanced trucks). Already from the year 2020 on it can be calculated with a significant volume of eCar batteries for these second-life applications.

The EOL-IS project’s goal is the development of service innovations for the phase after the eCar batteries’ EOL, based on the chemical and technical features of eCar batteries. A further object is to find the best Second-Life concept for each single battery as well as to conduct the application concept with accurately fitting hybrid bundles of services (HLB). Thereby the physical and chemical features and the battery’s history of usage, its condition and further economic, ecological and judicial information will be considered, as well.

Fig. 1: Conceptual frame and working packages of the project.

Innovative Second-Life concepts are developed and evaluated from a commercial point of view and the processes and instruments of service research will be correspondingly advanced for the practice field of electric mobility. The overall object is reached by realizing single subprojects which focus the following developments with regard to the core areas of the participating partners

• EOL Strategies (subproject B conducted by Department of Information Systems),
• Electronic EOL Badge (subproject C conducted by P3 Energy & Storage),
• Battery Evaluation Concepts (subproject D conducted by Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology) and
• Concept of Decision Support Systems (subproject E conducted by Department of Information Systems).