The Nanophotonic Technology Center (NTC) of Valencia, attached to the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), has launched an automation process to dismantle the batteries electric cars, but also those used in scooters, bikes or electric motorcycles. It’s about giving them a second life and contributing to the circular economy.
Once batteries have completed their life cycle in electric vehicles, they still have enough capacity to be reused in solar or wind energy storage systems. Today, they represent a solution for energy management in industrial installations, houses either companies.
However, to be truly successful, they would have to be competitive on price, and to do this, they would have to move from the current processing system, based on manual processes, to an automated industrial system.
The NTC estimates that the percentage of the cost of manual operations in the cell preparation phase is 66%, and that it can increase to 9% to the extent that these processes are automated.
With the project of the research institute would go from 300 €/Kwh to a cost of 125 €/KWh, which would allow them to offer a starting price of 200 €/Kwh, competitive with the current price of between 300 and 400 €/kWh for second-life batteries, and 400 – 600 €/Kwh for new batteries.
Another problem addressed by the project, funded by IVACE+i, is the variety of formats that electric cars use in the manufacture of their energy cells. They can be cylindrical, prismatic, envelope-shaped and each of them has a variety of sizes. Which makes it even more difficult to standardize the process of disassembling the batteries and subsequent operations. obtaining of the cells of energy.
The solution to the problem is addressed with variable geometry dies to work with a single processing line and only two dies. Thus, once the separation of the cells is carried out, the rest of the processes will be identical for any type of input battery used, since the geometric characteristics of the individual cells will be the same.
La Pinada Laboratory
Currently, lithium batteries are the preferred technology for photovoltaic energy storage in homes and businesses. For this reason, the lithium battery project second life will allow lower the price the cost of Invoice of the light in homes and businesses, as well as promoting the energy transition to clean energy.
In fact, NTC designed and built a second-life lithium battery with a power of 4 kW and a capacity of 5.15 kWh. The battery was moved and installed in the premises of “La Pinada Laboratory” In Paternalas part of its sustainable Eco-district project.
The battery has been integrated with the rest of the systems of a completely autonomous installation with photovoltaic energy production, and has been operating daily for a year in a stable manner.
This project thus contributes to extending the useful life of the elements used to manufacture batteries, such as lithium, nickel or cobalt. It is therefore a commitment to contribute to the circular economy and reduce the need to use and process new materials.
NTC, 20 years of experience
The Center of TechnologyNanophotonics (NTC) of Valencia has almost 20 years old of experience in research on the control and manipulation of light on a very small scale. The technology it develops has been considered strategic by the European Commission to ensure the competitiveness and technological sovereignty of Europe and Spain, in the microelectronics and semiconductors sector.
It is located on the campus of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). Its most unique facility is the White Room dedicated to the micro and nano manufacturing of semiconductors, which is part of the Spanish Map of Unique Scientific and Technological Infrastructures (ITCS) and receives support from the EU FEDER funds, the Spanish Government and the Generalitat Valenciana.
The Institute develops applications photonics in various fields. Mainly for its application in the telecommunications, food, veterinary, health industries or in the control of contaminants in water. And its development has even been used in the operation of artificial satellites.
