About three times a day, Rich Benoit receives a ** from a Tesla Model S owner whose car battery has begun to fail. Such batteries used to provide hundreds of miles, but suddenly could only travel 50 miles on a single charge. These vehicles are usually out of warranty, and the cost of replacing the battery can be more than $1$50,000.
For most products, repair is a more economical option than replacement. Theoretically, a lot of Tesla batteries can be repaired, according to Benoit, the owner of one of the few Tesla repair shops in the United States. But because of the time, training, safety considerations, and complexity of the repair, Benoit said it can cost upwards of $10,000 to repair a car battery at his shop, which is more than most consumers are willing to pay. Instead, many people choose to sell their old cars or donate them for scrap and buy a brand new Tesla.
Cars are almost like TV-like consumables. Benoit said.
Benoit's experience bodes well for early adopters of electric vehicles and the problems faced by e-micromobility devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters: these vehicles contain large and expensive batteries that will inevitably degrade or stop working over time. Repairing these batteries may have sustainability benefits, saving the energy and resources needed to make new batteries. This is especially important for electric vehicles, as they contain very large batteries that must be used for many years to offset the carbon emissions that come with making them. However, many EV and EV mobile device batteries are difficult to repair due to design challenges, safety requirements, and lack of availability of spare parts, and some manufacturers are against repairing due to safety concerns.
Timoté Rouffignac, head of a small e-bike battery repair company called Daurema in Brussels, Belgium, said: "There are a lot of batteries in the trash that could have been repaired. But because they are not made for restoration, it is difficult to come up with a reasonable **.
Lithium-ion batteries in smartphones contain a "battery cell" consisting of a graphite anode, a metal cathode, and a liquid electrolyte, which allows lithium ions to move from side to side to create an electric potential. An e-bike battery typically contains dozens of battery cells, while an EV battery contains hundreds to thousands of individual battery cells, which are usually packaged into "modules" and then into battery packs. In addition to battery cells and modules, electric vehicle and e-bike batteries typically include a battery management system that monitors the battery's state of health and controls the rate of charging and discharging.
All lithium-ion batteries gradually degrade with use and eventually need to be replaced. But when a battery contains many individual cells and other components, its life can sometimes be extended by repair, a process that involves identifying and replacing damaged battery cells or modules and repairing other faulty parts, such as a faulty battery management system. In some cases, only one module needs to be replaced. Replacing a module can reduce the need for battery metals such as lithium, as well as the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing a replacement battery (or a new vehicle), compared to replacing the entire battery pack. This makes battery repairs "very desirable" for the "circular economy", according to G**in Harper, a researcher at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom who studies battery sustainability.
Also, you can save money by servicing the battery. Cox Automotive says that in general, refurbished EV batteries cost about half as much as a new battery. Since offering EV battery repair services in 2014, Cox Automotive estimates that it has saved more than 1 GWh of battery, enough to power about 17,000 new EVs.
But experts say battery repairs are dangerous and should not be attempted by home users or newbies. If the battery cell is damaged during a repair attempt, it may cause a short circuit, resulting in a fire or**. If the maintenance personnel are not wearing insulated gloves, they may be electrocuted. For those who don't know how to do it, it's like playing with fire. Some e-bike batteries have enough current to be lethal.
Battery repair requires high-voltage training, electrical experience, personal protective equipment, and a basic understanding of architecture and how batteries work. Those looking to repair EV batteries also need equipment to lift the car off the ground and physically remove batteries that weigh thousands of pounds.
There are very few people who can or should try something like this, if not few. Even those with the proper training often struggle to repair electric or e-bike batteries because of the battery design, Benoit said. Many e-bike batteries are encased in heavy-duty plastic casings that are difficult to open and even have to damage the internal components to open. Inside the individual modules of an e-bike battery or electric vehicle battery, the battery cells are often glued or welded together, making it difficult or impossible to replace individually. In addition, as highlighted by the European Environment Agency in a 2021 report, some EV batteries contain software that shuts down the battery when it detects signs of unauthorized tampering.
Manufacturers say their batteries are designed to improve safety, durability and performance, but this can come at the expense of repairability, with many manufacturers offering free or discounted battery replacements during the warranty period (typically around two years for e-bikes and 8 to 10 years or 100,000 miles for electric vehicles). Repair advocates, on the other hand, argue that modular designs with reversible fasteners, such as clips or adhesives that can be untied, don't necessarily compromise safety, and that the benefits of battery design for easy repair far outweigh the cost.
European policymakers are starting to listen to battery repair advocates. In August, the European Union passed a new regulation aimed at promoting battery sustainability. These include a provision that requires batteries used in e-bikes and other "light mobility" vehicles, such as e-scooters, to be serviced by an independent professional, down to the individual battery level. Due to concerns about safety, battery certification and legal liability, the European e-bike industry strongly opposes this regulation and is now grappling with how to comply with it.
The U.S. Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced that it is considering regulation of e-bikes and their batteries. Previously, a series of e-bike battery fires triggered a policy response at the local level. The New York City Council recently amended the fire code to prohibit the use of used batteries from another type of battery to "assemble or repair lithium-ion batteries."
New York also recently enacted a law requiring electric vehicle manufacturers to ensure that the batteries of their products meet UL 2271 design standards, which are designed to improve safety. UL Solutions is a global company that tests a wide range of safety certification standards for industrial and consumer products and materials. Ibrahim Jilani, the company's global director of consumer technology, said the repaired battery could meet that standard. But companies that carry out battery repairs will be required to "keep the design as it is until repairs are needed," including using the same make and model of batteries and electronic components, Mr. Jilani said. Gilani said battery repair plants would also need to undergo UL site inspections four times a year, which would cost them more than $5,000 a year.
Lawmakers have been relatively quiet on the issue of EV battery fixing compared to e-bikes. In the United States, there are no specific laws or regulations that address this issue. The EU's new battery regulations also do not address EV battery repairs, other than advising lawmakers to update separate vehicle regulations "to ensure that these batteries can be removed and replaced".
The German insurance association GDV "strongly supports" this idea. In October, the group released the results of a study that found that electric vehicles cost one-third more to repair than similar gasoline vehicles, a finding that is partly attributed to the high cost of repairing or replacing batteries.
A GDV spokesperson said: "Many car manufacturers do not allow battery repairs, even if there is minor damage to the battery compartment. If a car has an accident that results in an airbag activation, automakers sometimes choose to replace the battery. The spokesperson said both practices "lead to increased repair costs" and ultimately insurance premiums**.
New rules on EV battery repairability will be introduced at a critical juncture. According to Phelps of Cox Automotive, two trends in EV battery design are emerging at the same time: "Batteries are either becoming very easy to maintain, or they are not maintainable at all." ”
Some batteries, such as the Volkswagen ID4 batteries inside, with Lego-like modules, easy to remove and replace. Other battery packs, such as Tesla's new 4680 structure battery pack, do not contain modules at all, and all cells are bonded together and bonded to the battery pack itself, a design described by Phelps as "unrepairable." If a damaged battery pack is found, the entire battery must be replaced.
It's still a fully remarkable battery, and you just can't fix it. Phelps said.