German engineering company Bosch is to supply an automated battery discharging system that takes just minutes to deep discharge battery modules before recycling.
It said it will take under 15 minutes to automatically discharge eight lithium-ion batteries from electric cars.
Manual processes normally take up to 24 hours to deep discharge a battery. The model project in Magdeburg is the first to use this patented Bosch discharging solution, it said.
The system recognises different battery designs and minimises risks such as short circuits and fires, it said.
Battery Lifecycle Company, set up as a joint venture last year, is building Europe’s first fully automated plant at its site in Magdeburg, Germany.
Bosch Rexroth, a Bosch engineering subsidiary, is supplying the plant’s technology. The site will test used batteries from different manufacturers, deep discharge them and prepare them for shredding.
The plant equipment will transport battery materials weighing up to 150 kg at 18 metres per second.
The process:
- battery modules chemically deactivated, ensuring further processing without voltage
- residual energy in the modules can be used to operate the recycling.
The site will also use Bosch industrial technology for battery production on-site.
Each year, the Battery Lifecycle Company site will recycle up to 15,000 tonnes of battery materials. The plant is scheduled to begin operations in summer 2023.
Bosch will present its battery recycling technology at Hannover Messe (17–21 April).
