ENGS 89/90 Reports
Year of Graduation
2023
Sponsor
Cake electric motorbike
Project Advisor
Charles Sullivan
Instructor
Solomon Diamond
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
2023
Abstract
Electric bike (e-bike) batteries are degraded through normal usage, but still hold potential for reuse in a less-strenuous application when no longer sufficient for e-bike propulsion. Moreover, battery materials are in increasing demand but finite supply, and recycling processes are still inefficient and under development. This transforms battery reuse potential into a need. Our team partnered with the Swedish e-bike company CAKE to investigate the path forward for reclaimed e-bike batteries. We devised a benchmarking protocol to comprehensively assess these batteries for safety and performance, informing decisions on reuse. This protocol is in accordance with the recently established joint Canada and U.S. Standard for Safety Evaluation for Repurposing Batteries, UL 1974, the regulatory body for CAKE’s U.S. operations. This standard allows for discretion and modification on the part of the repurposer, and that is where our innovation and research could most benefit CAKE. Our team piloted the benchmarking protocol to refine it to best suit CAKE’s needs. Our deliverable consists of a safety plan, battery disassembly plan, safety and performance testing protocol, and guide to the interpretation of results, including the identification of key metrics and the code used for their extraction. In addition, we have created a business and operations plan should CAKE choose to conduct testing in-house, and outlined potential recycling and reuse partners should CAKE choose to outsource. The need for this plan is imminent: an upcoming E.U. regulation will require companies to reclaim all electric vehicle batteries. Our team has provided a working foundation for CAKE to pursue battery second life, in line with the company’s—and the world’s—vision for sustainability.
Dartmouth Digital Commons Citation
Bean, Andy; Slater, Savannah; Lasonde, Katherine; Miller, Shayne; Goyette, Lauren; and Evans, Nicole, "Benchmarking Used E-Bike Batteries" (2023). ENGS 89/90 Reports. 118.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/engs89_90/118
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