Page 13 - ATZ WORLDWIDE

Electric-vehicle batteries constitute the enfant terrible of modern mobility.
© Wolfram Schroll | Duesenfeld
ATZ worldwide 09|2018
They are energy-intensive to manufacture, have a limited range and
require rare and expensive raw materials to produce. Now, however,
new advances in recycling lithium-ion storage batteries are emerging
as a cornerstone of sustainable electric mobility. This is a lucrative line
of business for recycling companies and OEMs that would otherwise
have to shred their batteries no later than their second-life use.
ELECTRIC-VEHICLE and lithium, nickel and cobalt in partic-
BATTERIES WITH A HANDICAP ular for batteries – the latter metallic,
blue-gray shimmering material proving
Electric mobility in its purest form is the greatest concern for the electric
considered progressive. When charged mobility sector. While it is possible to do
using renewable energy, a battery-elec- without cobalt, it is key in improving the
tric vehicle operates fully emission-free performance of cathodes – the negatively
– at least from the well-to-wheel per- charged electrodes in a lithium-ion bat-
spective. Moreover, if range and charging tery – by several orders of magnitude
time can be acceptably optimized in the in terms of rated voltage and energy
near future, the electrically powered car density. However, both properties come
will be a suitable replacement for mobil- at a hefty price.
ity centered on the combustion engine.
Even so, there are undeniable deficien- LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES CENTRAL
cies that give it a handicap compared to TO VALUE CREATION
more established powertrains – a short-
coming exacerbated all the more given If you were to strip down the current
the rarity of the raw materials that only BMW i3, you would find almost 12 kg
electric mobility requires. of cobalt in the 33-kWh battery alone.
Unlike conventional vehicles, electric Not to mention another 6 kg of lithium,
vehicles require – above all – more 12 kg of manganese, 12 kg of nickel and
special metals in their powertrain, for 35 kg of graphite, according to well-in-
example rare earths for electric motors formed sources. Although the raw mate-
(© Andreas Burkert)
Rare earth metals, cobalt, nickel, manganese and lithium are the ingredients of electric mobility 11