AI gives traction batteries a second life

Fraunhofer IWU and EDAG Production Solutions are planning an automated dismantling plant for electric car batteries. This plant will use AI to enable economical and safe dismantling in order to recover intact cells and modules for reuse or recycling. At the same time, it will serve as a platform for standardizing recovery processes.

After many years of use, many traction batteries still have a residual capacity of between 70 and 80 percent. This is too little for further use in vehicles, but some cells could continue to serve well when bundled into large storage systems in private households, companies, or at power grid operators. Simply shredding used modules or entire high-voltage storage systems would therefore mean destroying their useful value. Repairing and remanufacturing these batteries not only conserves valuable resources, but also extends the service life of the components. Specifically reconditioned cells are fit for long-term use in new applications. Dr. Rico Schmerler and his team are researching how components and cells can be removed from a traction battery without costs spiraling out of control in a new project at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in Chemnitz in collaboration with EDAG Production Solutions GmbH & Co. KG.

Focus on value creation and environmental protection

The future pilot plant in Chemnitz is intended to provide an answer to the rapidly growing demand for efficient circular economy solutions. By 2030, the amount of used batteries in the EU is expected to increase more than tenfold. By then at the latest, processes that go beyond recycling and shredding batteries will be indispensable. The largely damage-free dismantling of all components down to the cell level is a prerequisite for a new battery life thanks to the replacement of defective or aged cells or modules. The new dismantling plant is designed to enable precisely this type of dismantling. It will not only reduce the need for energy-intensive new production, but also make it easier for recycling companies to recover valuable raw materials such as lithium and cobalt from cells that can no longer be processed for recycling.

Automated dismantling, data, and qualification

The highly innovative, automated plant, planned in collaboration with EDAG Production Solutions, relies on variant-flexible and AI-supported dismantling to ensure the economical and safe handling of a wide variety of high-voltage storage devices. An integrated system for analyzing the state of health (SoH) of modules and cells ensures that only reusable components are approved for reuse. Completely intact units can even be used for new traction batteries.

Basis for the further development of qualification profiles

In addition, the new infrastructure serves as a data platform for standardizing reuse and recycling processes. The data collected also forms the basis for the further development of qualification profiles for skilled workers in Saxony. This is because interdisciplinary knowledge from mechanics, electrical engineering, and computer science will continue to gain importance in many professions related to automobility.