
With the increasing number of electric vehicles, the importance of sustainable and safe handling of traction batteries at the end of their life cycle is growing. The European Battery Regulation tightens the requirements for the return, reparability, and recycling of battery systems, as well as for the use of secondary materials.
Cell-to-pack designs pose particular challenges, as traditional dismantling methods are hardly suitable. In response, international companies are preparing to enter the European market and are seeking strategic and regional partnerships.
To this end, Fraunhofer and Huayou Recycling have jointly developed dismantling solutions to drive technological progress and strengthen regional value chains.
As part of an international project, Fraunhofer IPA developed the work packages for sequence planning, technology analysis, and the conceptual development of disassembly processes.
Key tasks included:
This work establishes a methodological foundation for the safe and automated dismantling of traction batteries with a focus on reuse and recycling.
Through strategic cooperation between European and Asian partners, the project also lays the groundwork for regional collaboration and industrial scaling.
The results provide a solid basis for setting up industrial disassembly lines. This enables the recovery of intact cells for reuse — an essential building block for a circular battery economy and the implementation of European sustainability goals, strengthened through international strategic partnerships.