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This work presents a follow up of previous case studies from the authors on the estimation of the in-vehicle battery capacity fade with performance-based models of Lithium-ion batteries applied to real-world vehicles’ activity data. The mobility pattern database is significantly enlarged compared to previous works from the authors, encompassing now six European regions, including 508,609 private vehicles which corresponds to 1.78 billion GPS records, 9.1 million trips and parking events and a total driven distance of 106.1 million kilometres. The capacity fade is derived at given years and mileage thresholds under different driving and recharging scenarios, supporting the concept of setting minimum performance requirements for traction batteries in future road transport policies. The vast majority of the considered scenarios do not lead to a battery capacity drop below 80% of its nominal value in less than five calendar years or 100,000 driven kilometres and below 70% in less than 8 years or 160,000 driven kilometres. The results of this work contributed to inform the new UN ECE Global Technical Regulation No. 22 on in-vehicle battery durability.

The global decarbonization will have to be driven by the e-mobility sector to achieve the climate goals. End-of-life battery packs therefore need to be recycled efficiently and sustainably so that a cost-competitive circular economy can be adopted. In current process approaches, once the battery is discharged, disassembly is typically performed manually in a process that is not automated and dangerous to workers. To disassemble, first the battery cover must be removed, whereby current technological approaches focus on screw connections, which are difficult to loosen due to their condition after many years in the vehicle and cause poor automation capability. Another alternative is to mechanically mill the battery cover, which creates chips inside the battery pack that can cause short circuits. Waterjet cutting, which is also a process approach, faces the challenge of water getting into the battery pack, which can also lead to short circuits. Therefore, there is a need for new technological approaches which can dismantle an automotive battery pack productively with enhanced safety standards for workers and batteries. For this purpose, this paper performs a compact benchmark analysis of different separation technologies to identify initial potentials and challenges for laser-based disassembly of automotive battery packs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Al lead and tabs used as current collectors in electric vehicle battery were laser-welded to different welding states. • The different joint structures exhibited no appreciable difference in the electrical resistance measured across the welded region. • Our study showed that extremely low resiatances are obtained even if the joint structures have narrow current paths. In pouch-type Li-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, battery cell tabs are electrically connected to an external lead of the same substance. Laser welding is a promising technique for joining these materials. This study investigates the fundamental question of whether electrical resistance measurements can be used to reliably estimate the welding state. An Al lead (400 μm thick) was welded spot-by-spot to a stack of 30 Al tabs (each tab 13 μm thick) using a laser beam incident on the lead surface. By adjusting the laser irradiation conditions, three different welding states (shallow, intermediate, and deep states) were intentionally produced. However, these structures exhibited no appreciable difference in the resistance measured across the welded region. The resistance was on the order of 10−4 Ω regardless of the welding state. Simulations were conducted for various joint structures, including those with voids, to derive the current flow through the structures and joint resistances. The simulation results corresponded well with the experimental results. Our study indicates that the electrical estimation of the welding state is challenging, because extremely low resistances are obtained even if the lead and tab are locally connected with narrow current paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The analysis was conducted through a systematic literature review that yielded 2268 records from seven search systems. • A harmonized disassembly sequence for traction batteries and advices for industry and policy makers were derived. • Semi-destructive disassembly technologies are an integral part of future traction battery disassembly operations. • Disassembly of traction batteries is essential for the reuse of components and the recovery of high purity recyclates. • Further research should focus on developing disassembly technologies for cell-to-pack traction battery architectures. Battery-powered electromobility is essential for achieving the climate goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. Using recycled materials is important not only because of the high carbon footprint of virgin materials, but also because of supply chain dependencies. In the automotive traction battery recycling process, the disassembly step is crucial for reusing components and recovering recyclates with high purity. Therefore, this paper will comprehensively analyze the different disassembly technologies for end-of-life electric vehicle batteries on the basis of a systematic literature review. The analysis will address non-destructive, semi-destructive and destructive disassembly technologies as well as supporting technologies such as artificial intelligence and vision systems. In addition, the advantages and challenges of the different technological approaches and the disassembly process itself will be discussed. Ultimately, implications for policy makers and industry players will be highlighted to facilitate the entire value chain of automotive traction battery recycling with robust disassembly technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]