Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing North America received $4.5 million in funding from a division of the U.S. Department of Energy for a project meant to develop an industry-relevant template for a 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) facility of the future — where electric vehicle batteries are concerned.
The goal of the project is to help resolve the first bottlenecks in current battery supply chain circularity: the automation of battery pack disassembly, data-driven battery classification, and addressing cell degradation.
“As it stands, this project and program will highlight avenues for everyone to rethink their approach to battery circularity, and help prioritize the extension of battery life, facilitate battery reuse, and reduce battery waste while unveiling the appropriate pathways to achieve such priorities,” said Nik Singh, principal scientist at TRINA and the principal investigator of the project, in a statement.
The project comes as end-of-life and battery scrap volumes are estimated to rise in the coming years. Sarah Kennedy, BLS manager and leader of the technology to market deployment, said the collaboration represents “a significant step forward” in developing sustainable solutions for the battery lifecycle.
The funding is part of the Catalyzing Innovative Research for Circular Use of Long-lived Advanced Rechargeables Program, which supports a circular domestic supply chain for EV batteries. TEMA’s Toyota Research Institute of North America division will administer the project with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Waygate Technologies.
“By extending the life of the battery components, we reduce their total emissions per mile. That’s a big deal for the role EVs can play in the energy transition,” said Marm Dixit, co-leader of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory contributions to the project, in a statement.
