Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CarE-Service (Circular Economy Business Models for innovative hybrid and electric mobility through advanced reuse and remanufacturing technologies and services)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2019-12-01 do 2021-11-30
The automotive industry, the most important manufacturing industry in Europe, is undergoing a fundamental transformation from fuel cars to electric vehicles. A massive flow of electric vehicles will have to be dismantled at the End-Of Life in the next years and Europe is not prepared, due to the novelty of their technologies and to the current lack of specialised circular chains.
The CarE-Service project contributed to this challenge by developing solutions and business models for the establishment of new value chains for the reuse, remanufacturing and recycling of key parts of electric vehicles (batteries, metal and techno-polymeric components), as well as for the offering of innovative green mobility services.
Furthermore, CarE-Service suggested guidelines for the evolution of the regulation and standardisation favouring the diffusion of new circular business models and contributed to create a favourable policy context for the circular economy of electric vehicles as a strategic industrial opportunity for Europe.
The CarE-Service project contributed to this challenge by developing solutions and business models for the establishment of new value chains for the reuse, remanufacturing and recycling of key parts of electric vehicles (batteries, metal and techno-polymeric components), as well as for the offering of innovative green mobility services.
Furthermore, CarE-Service suggested guidelines for the evolution of the regulation and standardisation favouring the diffusion of new circular business models and contributed to create a favourable policy context for the circular economy of electric vehicles as a strategic industrial opportunity for Europe.
In the battery value chain, efforts were focused on the realisation of a movable robotics systems for battery packs dismantling and on the definition of widely exportable industrial and testing guidelines for the treatment of battery modules and cells. Hydro- and pyro-metallurgical processes for the recovery of the black mass were developed and compared at laboratory scale. In the metals value chain, cold-reforming technologies for metal sheets remanufacturing, enabled by an RFID-based information tracking system, were developed and optimised. A new laser soldering and de-soldering technology for the re-use of structural metal parts was realised, too. In the techno-polymers value chain, new formulations of recycled compounds from post-consumer vehicles were characterised with respect to possible second life applications.
The CarE-Service ICT Platform was completed under the logic of an integrated business model in which, compared to other platforms and marketplaces, the “Smart Movable Modules” represent a distinctive feature for the offering of disassembly and testing services to dismantlers, that can guarantee the quality of parts that are exchanged in the network.
A wide demonstration activity was carried to prove the potential of all the designed processes, technologies and business models in real industrial environments. Multiple battery packs were dismantled by the robotic system of the dismantling “Smart Movable Module”. Battery modules were disassembled, remanufactured and used in solar panel installations as well as power sources for small applications. The testing “Smart Movable Module” demonstrated the capabilities of advanced on-site testing of aesthetic, mechanical and materials characteristics of metallic and polymeric parts. Disk cover brakes were produced out of metal blank sheets obtained from the roof of old cars. Several techno-polymer products were produced with the recycled compounds for automotive, furniture and other second life applications.
About mobility services, new value propositions enabled by the novel electric vehicles circular chains were effectively put on the market and offered to the first customers. To establish strategic partnerships between car sharing and fleet managing companies, a realistic contractual agreement was drafted for the provision and service of vehicles that will be built and maintained with a high content of re-used, remanufactured and recycled parts.
The demonstration was complemented with a detailed economic, environmental and social impact analysis, which proved the sustainability of the results. It also outlined the challenges that still remain open: the increase of TRL of developed technologies; the upscaling of circular industries, supported by piloting and demonstration infrastructure, with the consequent reconversion of regional manufacturing sectors; the design of a new circular business model in the automotive chain, with the commitment of OEMs and a fair value sharing among partners; the cultural change of consumers and of companies towards a more sustainable production and consumption.
The CarE-Service ICT Platform was completed under the logic of an integrated business model in which, compared to other platforms and marketplaces, the “Smart Movable Modules” represent a distinctive feature for the offering of disassembly and testing services to dismantlers, that can guarantee the quality of parts that are exchanged in the network.
A wide demonstration activity was carried to prove the potential of all the designed processes, technologies and business models in real industrial environments. Multiple battery packs were dismantled by the robotic system of the dismantling “Smart Movable Module”. Battery modules were disassembled, remanufactured and used in solar panel installations as well as power sources for small applications. The testing “Smart Movable Module” demonstrated the capabilities of advanced on-site testing of aesthetic, mechanical and materials characteristics of metallic and polymeric parts. Disk cover brakes were produced out of metal blank sheets obtained from the roof of old cars. Several techno-polymer products were produced with the recycled compounds for automotive, furniture and other second life applications.
About mobility services, new value propositions enabled by the novel electric vehicles circular chains were effectively put on the market and offered to the first customers. To establish strategic partnerships between car sharing and fleet managing companies, a realistic contractual agreement was drafted for the provision and service of vehicles that will be built and maintained with a high content of re-used, remanufactured and recycled parts.
The demonstration was complemented with a detailed economic, environmental and social impact analysis, which proved the sustainability of the results. It also outlined the challenges that still remain open: the increase of TRL of developed technologies; the upscaling of circular industries, supported by piloting and demonstration infrastructure, with the consequent reconversion of regional manufacturing sectors; the design of a new circular business model in the automotive chain, with the commitment of OEMs and a fair value sharing among partners; the cultural change of consumers and of companies towards a more sustainable production and consumption.
CarE-Service developed new solutions and approaches that represent a novelty in the domain of the circular economy of electric vehicles.
In batteries End-Of-Life, the project demonstrated the applicability of robotics solutions for the dismantling of battery packs, that is a critical operation implying significant technical and safety challenges, and that is not currently supported by consolidated technologies.
At module and cell level, industrial process protocols, testing procedures and a decision support system that can be widely applicable by remanufacturers were developed. Such tools will support the massive diffusion of these circular processes in industry and the End-Of-Life management of the big variety of modules and cells.
About battery recycling, a laboratory comparison of pyro-metallurgy and hydro-metallurgy to recycle black mass was carried out.
In the metals chain, the demonstration of new remanufacturing technologies opened the way to future disruptive circular scenarios in the automotive sector, where remanufactured parts, with new shape and characteristics, can be used for the production of new vehicles at large scale, or for the maintenance and periodic upgrade of cars.
Regarding techno-polymers, the project demonstrated for the first time the possibility to produce components from recycled post-consumers parts dismantled from End-Of-Life vehicles, to be used in automotive or in other applications (until now, only post-industrial recycling could be pursued).
CarE-Service proposed a business model that is meant to address the challenges of the End-Of-Life of electric vehicles in the current transition phase, where the volume of cars to be treated does not justify big investments. To address this issue, dismantling and testing technologies were made movable in order to make them available, as a service, to dismantlers. In this way, the entire logistics flow can be optimised by taking the best routing decisions at the dismantling site and avoiding the unnecessary transportation of parts. Leveraging on these innovative concepts, the CarE-Service Platform was conceived to offer additional value compared to other existing general-purpose marketplaces.
All these innovations were assessed in terms of economic and environmental impacts, thus providing information to industrial and policy decision makers on the sustainability of new automotive circular businesses. Compared to other studies, CarE-Service performed a holistic value chain assessment, including dismantlers, remanufacturers, recyclers, OEMs and car sharing companies, in order to assess the sustainability at all value chain levels and to identify the impact of local decision and technology performance on the rest of the stakeholders.
Besides technology and industrial impact, the project generated also social impact through the design and demonstration of innovative mobility services for citizens. Such services imply the integration of car sharing and municipal/regional public transportation, with mixed “Business to Business” and “Business to Consumers” models that optimise the use of vehicles and reduce environmental footprint. First customers have already experienced the new services and a wide European survey demonstrated that citizens are in favour of this new mobility value proposition.
In batteries End-Of-Life, the project demonstrated the applicability of robotics solutions for the dismantling of battery packs, that is a critical operation implying significant technical and safety challenges, and that is not currently supported by consolidated technologies.
At module and cell level, industrial process protocols, testing procedures and a decision support system that can be widely applicable by remanufacturers were developed. Such tools will support the massive diffusion of these circular processes in industry and the End-Of-Life management of the big variety of modules and cells.
About battery recycling, a laboratory comparison of pyro-metallurgy and hydro-metallurgy to recycle black mass was carried out.
In the metals chain, the demonstration of new remanufacturing technologies opened the way to future disruptive circular scenarios in the automotive sector, where remanufactured parts, with new shape and characteristics, can be used for the production of new vehicles at large scale, or for the maintenance and periodic upgrade of cars.
Regarding techno-polymers, the project demonstrated for the first time the possibility to produce components from recycled post-consumers parts dismantled from End-Of-Life vehicles, to be used in automotive or in other applications (until now, only post-industrial recycling could be pursued).
CarE-Service proposed a business model that is meant to address the challenges of the End-Of-Life of electric vehicles in the current transition phase, where the volume of cars to be treated does not justify big investments. To address this issue, dismantling and testing technologies were made movable in order to make them available, as a service, to dismantlers. In this way, the entire logistics flow can be optimised by taking the best routing decisions at the dismantling site and avoiding the unnecessary transportation of parts. Leveraging on these innovative concepts, the CarE-Service Platform was conceived to offer additional value compared to other existing general-purpose marketplaces.
All these innovations were assessed in terms of economic and environmental impacts, thus providing information to industrial and policy decision makers on the sustainability of new automotive circular businesses. Compared to other studies, CarE-Service performed a holistic value chain assessment, including dismantlers, remanufacturers, recyclers, OEMs and car sharing companies, in order to assess the sustainability at all value chain levels and to identify the impact of local decision and technology performance on the rest of the stakeholders.
Besides technology and industrial impact, the project generated also social impact through the design and demonstration of innovative mobility services for citizens. Such services imply the integration of car sharing and municipal/regional public transportation, with mixed “Business to Business” and “Business to Consumers” models that optimise the use of vehicles and reduce environmental footprint. First customers have already experienced the new services and a wide European survey demonstrated that citizens are in favour of this new mobility value proposition.