The Future of Car Recycling – Reuse Instead of Scrapping

Motivation

A passenger car is damaged in an accident – and is deemed a total economic loss. In other words: Repairing it is no longer cost-effective, even though many of its components are still functional. The vehicle is then scrapped or exported to the Global South, where it continues to be used. In both cases, essential materials and entire assemblies are lost.

In times of resource scarcity, rising costs, and disrupted supply chains, it is of great importance to identify as many still-usable parts and assemblies as possible and return them to the production process as quickly as possible. This is where the EKODA (Efficient and Economical Circular Dismantling and Refurbishment) funding project came in.

Solution

To minimize the loss of time and energy already invested, relevant components are first inspected for their condition and functionality. Subsequently, an assessment is made of the extent to which the components – or parts thereof – are suitable for reuse. In contrast, the disposal and recycling of materials are expressly not the goal, but are considered only as a last resort. The focus is on other so-called R-strategies, such as direct reuse or refurbishment, known as remanufacturing.

A key element of the EKODA project is the development of a dynamic evaluation system that assesses the suitability of components for reuse based on technological, economic, and ecological parameters. Additionally, other “soft” factors, such as political and ethical considerations, can be taken into account. In this way, the remaining service life of each component is determined, and the global evaluation monitoring system decides whether it should be directly reused, remanufactured, or repurposed (R-strategy). Furthermore, a disassembly process chain is generated that describes how and to what extent the component should ideally be disassembled for the specific R-strategy.

By using this system, companies can make decisions based on a wide range of factors. This closes the loops for automotive components and helps protect the environment. Car components can be reused in another vehicle or utilized in applications outside the automotive sector. In the long term, the system is intended to function as a kind of marketplace. Through the dynamic evaluation system, suppliers of used parts and buyers of remanufactured components will be brought together, and a kind of matchmaking process will take place based on the specified requirements.

In parallel, design guidelines for Design for Recycling and Design for Remanufacturing will be developed for future vehicle generations. Furthermore, the goal is to improve the manufacturing processes for various components in order to enhance the sustainability of the products right from the development phase. These measures contribute to a holistic, methodological approach to products, from their creation through to their end-of-life.

To demonstrate the methods and technologies developed, the partners will jointly test two use cases during the project. In the first use case, a typical high-voltage battery storage system will be removed from a passenger car. The second use case focuses on the recycling of metal passenger car components. A sheet metal component from the body and a solid component from the powertrain will be examined. Finally, the entire process chain will be presented. The goal is to validate the adaptive, semi-automated, and AI-supported disassembly applications, including all sub-steps, in a disassembly cell.

Digitalization plays a central role in the EKODA funding project. Using the use cases, digital twins of the products and systems are created to assess the feasibility of the remanufacturing routes. At the same time, this enables the optimization of transport chains and process routes. Ultimately, a reuse concept in the form of a modular system is to be derived from these results. 

Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular are expected to benefit from the project results, which will expand their scope for action toward circularity.