RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Batteries

03/04/2015 Japan’s Battery-Powered Recovery

Delivering a public speech on a recent Friday evening in Osaka, Tesla's director of battery

technology captured all that's wrong with the Japanese economy. "We need to take risks,

otherwise there will be no prosperity in business,”

Panasonic is the rare Japanese company that has taken chances and profited from them. Started

in 1918 in a two-story home in Osaka, it eventually became a multinational electronics

powerhouse. After falling behind Apple and Samsung in recent years, it eventually made a decisive

pivot -- in 2013, it abandoned the plasma television market and began focusing on batteries and

solar panels. That decision paid off massively with the Tesla partnership.

Since the late 1970s, when Kyushu University helped develop the dual carbon battery, Japan has

been a leader in the field. And demand for batteries is expected to soar in the years ahead, with

high-range batteries expected to replace fossil fuels in cars, airplanes, ships and even buildings. In

addition to helping save the planet, they could also help save Japan's economy.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-02/japan-s-battery-powered-recovery

03/04/2015 Long-Life, High-Efficiency Lithium/Sulfur Batteries from Sulfurized Carbon Nanotube Cathode

The long-term cycling properties of Li–S cells comprised of sulfurized carbon nanotubes (SCNTs) were thoroughly investigated. A high concentration (68 wt%) of sulfur was successfully immobilized on the surfaces of functionalized CNTs using a unique fabrication method that combined solvent exchange and surface and low-temperature treatments. The developed Li–S cells presented a long cycle life exceeding 1300 cycles and an extremely low capacity decay rate (0.025% per cycle) at 1/3 C rate. Moreover, these Li–S cells had an excellent high-rate response up to 2 C with high Coulombic efficiency (above 95.5%) and high sulfur utilizations (1180 mA h g−1 of sulfur over 300 cycles at 0.25 C, 799 mA h g−1 over 600 cycles at 0.75 C, 810 mA h g−1 over 500 cycles at 1 C, and 400 mA h g−1 over 500 cycles at 2 C). These results provide important progress towards understanding the role of SCNTs in developing Li–S batteries with potentially high efficiency and long-term service life.

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/ta/c5ta00286a#!divAbstract

11/04/2015 Rational material design for ultrafast rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are important electrochemical energy storage devices for consumer electronics and emerging electrical/hybrid vehicles. However, one of the formidable challenges is to develop ultrafast charging LIBs with the rate capability at least one order of magnitude (>10 C) higher than that of the currently commercialized LIBs. This tutorial review presents the state-of-the-art developments in ultrafast charging LIBs by the rational design of materials. First of all, fundamental electrochemistry and related ionic/electronic conduction theories identify that the rate capability of LIBs is kinetically limited by the sluggish solid-state diffusion process in electrode materials. Then, several aspects of the intrinsic materials, materials engineering and processing, and electrode materials architecture design towards maximizing both ionic and electronic conductivity in the electrode with a short diffusion length are deliberated. Finally, the future trends and perspectives for the ultrafast rechargeable LIBs are discussed. Continuous rapid progress in this area is essential and urgent to endow LIBs with ultrafast charging capability to meet huge demands in the near future.

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/cs/c4cs00442f#!divAbstract

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Batteries 13/04/2015 Google Working on

Next-Generation Lithium-Ion and Solid-State Batteries: Report

Google X research lab scientists are reportedly working on next-generation lithium-ion and solid-state battery technologies for consumer electronics. The company is said to have at least 20 battery-dependent projects under works that will have applications for the new technologies.

The Google X research lab led by former Apple battery expert Dr. Ramesh Bhardwaj had started testing batteries manufactured by others in 2012. But later in 2013, the group expanded to look at battery technologies that Google might develop itself. The team at present is reportedly working to advance current lithium-ion technology and the cutting-edge solid-state batteries for consumer devices, such as Google Glass and Google's glucose-measuring contact lens.

As per the WSJ report, Dr. Bhardwaj has told industry executives that Google has at least several battery-dependent projects in the works. During a presentation to an industry conference in February, Dr. Bhardwaj described how solid-state, thin-film batteries could be used in smartphones and other mobile devices that are thinner, bendable, wearable and even implantable in the human body, adds the report.

In addition to Dr. Bhardwaj's team, Google reportedly has other teams working with Chicago-based AllCell Technologies LLC on more potent lithium-ion batteries for four hardware projects, including Project Loon. Google's Project Loon is an effort to beam Internet signals from high-altitude balloons. A video of the project from late 2013 shows Google engineers bundling AllCell batteries into the system's power pack.

http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/google-working-on-next-generation-lithium-ion-and-solid-state-batteries-report-680965

15/04/2015 New Lithium-Sulfur Battery With Cycle Performance Comparable To That Of Lithium-Ion Batteries ...

A new lithium-sulfur battery that demonstrates cycle performance that’s comparable to that offered by currently available commercial lithium-ion batteries and possesses roughly twice the energy density has been developed by an international team of researchers from South Korea and Italy.

This research team — which was led by researchers from Hanyang University — utilized a highly reversible dual-type sulfur cathode (solid sulfur electrode and polysulfide catholyte) and a lithiated Si/SiOx nanosphere anode, in order to achieve its new results. A new research paper from the group explained that the new lithium-sulfur battery delivered a specific capacity of ∼750 mAh g–1 over 500 cycles (85% of the initial capacity). The reason for the impressive new results (possibly), according to those involved, is as a result of a synergistic effect between the enhanced electrochemical performance of the new anode and the optimized layout of the cathode.

While the new work won’t result in lithium-sulfur batteries replacing lithium-ion ones tomorrow, it does bring the commercial viability of the technology one step closer — as the new work has addressed some of the primary issues with the technology.

New Lithium-Sulfur Battery With Cycle Performance Comparable To That Of Lithium-Ion Batteries ...

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Batteries

21/04/2015 What Next After Lithium-Ion Batteries, Magnesium? Sodium?

Modern lihium-ion batteries are ten times cheaper than the first commercial versions sold by Sony in 1991 but, in terms of energy density, Nature says they don’t hold much more than twice as much energy for a given weight. This raises a key issue for some applications: for grid storage, density is not an issue. Capital cost, maintenance and longevity or recharging cycles are paramount.

For electronics, the number of cycles is less crucial as batteries can usually be swapped out after a couple of years so energy density, cost and recharge time are more important. Electric cars are generally considered to be similar to electronics, but, in reality, one of the major hurdles to adoption of electric cars is the upfront cost. A fair part of which is the batteries, so it is believed lower battery costs would help drive uptake of EVs as much as the range issue.

Part of the challenge seems to be there are just so many permutations of chemistry that could be used. One alternative to lithium could be the use of magnesium. It carries two positive charges compared to lithium’s one, holding out the possibility of much greater charge density, but magnesium moves through current electrolytes like treacle compared to lithium.

As with most major steps forward in science, the private sector is too risk averse to invest in cutting edge research and it is down to organizations such as the US Department of Energy to fund a $120 million project at the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), based at theArgonne National Laboratory near Chicago to look for game-changing innovation with the target of producing a battery five times more energy dense than the standard of the day, five times cheaper, in just five years from their 2012 start.

http://agmetalminer.com/2015/04/21/what-next-after-lithium-ion-batteries-magnesium-sodium/

21/04/2015 Major laptop maker recalls batteries over fire hazard

Lenovo just recalled 166,500 battery packs for ThinkPad notebook computers, because they can overheat and catch on fire… the FAA has received more than 150 reports of aviation incidents in the U.S. involving lithium batteries transported as cargo or baggage since 1991…

https://www.komando.com/happening-now/305241/major-laptop-maker-recalls-batteries-over-fire-hazard

25/04/2015 House Dem wants to ban lithium batteries from flights

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said in a letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx that a string of recent accidents that have been tied to problems with lithium batteries prove they are unsafe to transport on airplanes, even if they are just carrying cargo packages instead of passengers. DeFazio urged Foxx on Friday to “support the [International Coordination Council for Aerospace Industries Associations’] position that continuing to allow the carriage of lithium batteries by air in today’s transport category aircraft cargo compartments is an unacceptable risk to the air transport industry and the flying public.

“It is equally imperative that the Department urge swift adoption of the ICCAIA’s recommendations to develop and implement appropriate packaging and shipping requirements for safer transportation of lithium batteries as cargo on passenger and cargo aircraft, and for air carriers to refrain from transporting bulk packages of lithium-ion batteries and cells as cargo on passenger aircraft until safer methods of transport are established and followed,”

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/239969-house-dem-wants-to-ban-lithium-batteries-from-flights

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Batteries

28/04/2015 Cargolux Expands

Ban on Lithium Ion

Batteries as Bulk

Freight

Europe’s largest freight-only carrier, Cargolux Airlines International SA, said it would temporarily

stop carrying some lithium batteries on its cargo jets amid a global review of such shipments. The

ban on bulk shipments expands the type of lithium batteries Cargolux won't carry, though it

doesn’t cover some power cells packed with or used in equipment, the carrier said. Lithium

batteries, when packed tightly, can overheat or catch fire if they suffer damage or experience

short circuits. They have been implicated in intense, quickly spreading fires that brought down

two jumbo freighters and ravaged another big cargo jet on the ground in the past nine years.

http://www.wsj.com/a

rticles/cargolux-

expands-ban-on-

lithium-ion-batteries-

as-bulk-freight-

1430225259

29/04/2015 Exploding

smartphone

batteries tracked

in real-time

Scientists have for the first time tracked inside and out what happens when lithium-ion batteries

overheat and explode by using sophisticated 3D imaging. Understanding how Li-ion batteries

fail and potentially cause a dangerous chain reaction of events is important for improving their

design to make them safer to use and transport, researchers said.

The study by University College London (UCL), ESRF - The European Synchrotron, Imperial

College Londonand the National Physical Laboratory shows for the first time how internal

structural damage to batteries evolves in real-time, and provides an indication of how this

can spread to neighbouring batteries.

http://articles.econom

ictimes.indiatimes.com

/2015-04-

29/news/61652526_1

_lithium-ion-batteries-

imaging-map-changes

30/04/2015 Pedego recalls

electric bicycle

batteries due to

fire hazard

About 5,000 Lithium ion rechargeable batteries were recalled due to the possibility of

overheating, which poses a fire hazard, according to the recall. Consumers should immediately

remove the battery from the bike and contact Pedego for a free replacement battery.

Incidents/Injuries: Pedego has received six reports of batteries overheating and catching fire,

including one report of property damage. No injuries have been reported.

http://www.wmbfnew

s.com/story/28936661

/pedego-recalls-

electric-bicycle-

batteries-due-to-fire-

hazard

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Waste batteries, WEEE and RoHS Directive

17/04/2015 Simplifying Shipping Safety for Lithium Batteries

Those responsible for the transport of goods that include lithium batteries must soon adhere to new safety standards established by the U.S. Department of Transportation'sPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Ruling HM-224F strengthens the safety conditions for shipping lithium batteries. Mandatory compliance, originally required back in February, now takes effect on August 7. HM-224F will affect a wide range of businesses – beyond those involved in the manufacturing, distribution and shipping of lithium batteries, and have a major impact on commerce in this country. Thousands of lithium battery shipments take place every day in the U.S. for use in everything from notebook computers and tablets to cameras, medical devices, cell phones, power tools and electric cars.

The HM-224F standard reduces the excepted exception allowances for shipping lithium batteries and requires new battery packing, marking and labeling requirements as part of this revised rule. Shippers will need to determine the types of lithium battery, their electric capacity and number, and how they are packaged. If companies have not changed their procedures and packaged shipments appropriately by the mandatory compliance date, the carriers will reject their shipments. Mishandling these new regulations can result in your company's lithium battery shipments being delayed, returned or even subject to fines.

The article presents an infographic for highlights of the many uses of lithium batteries, some basics on how lithium batteries work, and how thermal runaway can occur if a battery is damaged. We've also included tips on how to ship the batteries safely and compliantly. Of course, the real key to safe shipment of lithium batteries starts with sourcing the batteries from only trusted, reputable manufacturers.

http://www.ebnonline.com/author.asp?section_id=3772&doc_id=277251&itc=ebnonline_gnews

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

REACH and

Chemicals

Authorisation: it's a

business choice

LANXESS Deutschland GmbH was the lead company for the registration of chromium trioxide (CrO3) in 2010. Chromium trioxide was subsequently added to the Authorisation List in April 2013. LANXESS were then contacted by members of their registration consortium and asked if they had any plans for the authorisation process. ECHA Newsletter recently spoke to Martin Kleban, Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality of the Business Unit Leather at LANXESS, to learn about his experience.

http://newsletter.echa.europa.eu/

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Climate & Energy

06/04/2015 Wind power without

wind? Green batteries

could be the answer

The wind farm and solar field that help power the Atlantic County Utilities Authority’s wastewater treatment plant were built with a major flaw — they only work when it’s windy or sunny. This may change with the future of green batteries — storing electricity to balance quick surges in demand or run facilities when the power’s out.

The ACUA partnered with Viridity Energy, a Philadelphia-based software company specializing in the energy marketplace, to install a 40-foot, tractor-trailer-sized battery at the Atlantic City treatment plant. It can store 1,000 kilowatts with ith the potential to aid the grid during the hottest and coldest (and most expensive) days of the year.

But such batteries face practical limitations too, including their cost and how much power

But the technology is advancing quickly and batteries are expected to be used more with the growing role of renewable energy across the U.S. power supply.

“These battery storage projects are going to demonstrate the ability of battery storage to be in a sense peak plants on a very small scale and they can offset the demand,” Dovey said.

Treece said batteries are becoming more practical as prices drop for lithium ion and he expects tremendous future growth.

http://www.pressofatla

nticcity.com/news/wind-

power-without-wind-

green-batteries-could-

be-the-

answer/article_46a25f2

8-dbd7-11e4-ad3c-

97fb574820a8.html

07/04/2015 Solar Energy: Grid vs. Battery Storage

As solar power—both giant farms and small rooftop installations—enjoys tremendous growth across the U.S., there’s been pushback from big utility companies. They’ve campaigned to end net metering, in which solar panel owners can return unneeded power they’ve generated to the grid for credit, and to add fees to their bills, calling homeowners and small businesses with rooftop panels “free riders” who don’t contribute to the upkeep of the grid.

But is there a possibility that both solar panel owners and utility companies could benefit from the increased deployment of solar? The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), an organization dedicated to finding practicalclean energy solutions, thinks so. They project how that might happen in their new report The Economics of Load Defection. It’s a follow-up to the report of last year, The Economics of Grid Defection.

The new report, on the other hand, speculates about the potential economic impact of customers with smaller and less costly solar panel/storage battery systems that decrease but don’t eliminate dependence on the grid. The report’s authors projected that the number of customers who would opt to disconnect from the grid entirely was small and that a much larger number of customers would choose to be connected to the grid with solar-plus-battery systems.

https://ecowatch.com/2015/04/07/solar-energy-grid-battery-storage/

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Climate & Energy

15/04/2015 Wall Street's grid

agreement: solar and

batteries are coming

A 2014 report by leading investment bank UBS noted, “Our view is that the ‘we have done it like this for a century’ value chain in developed electricity markets will be turned upside down within the next 10-20 years, driven by solar and batteries.” UBS surmises that less-expensive batteries, solar PV, and electric vehicles will empower customers to make their own energy decisions, and effectively make traditional power plants irrelevant by 2025. HSBC, in its report Energy Storage: Power to the People, suggested that deployment of energy storage will accelerate the utility revenue decay trend already started by rooftop solar. And a Morgan Stanley report stated that, “Over time, many US customers could partially or completely eliminate their usage of the power grid. We see the greatest potential for such disruption in the West, Southwest, and mid-Atlantic.”

Though each bank’s analysis has a different cost projection, market focus, and means of comparison – it is clear they expect solar-plus-storage to present a threat to the traditional utility/customer relationship as we have known it until now.

Financial institutions thus recommend utilities develop a smart grid by partnering with solar, battery, and smart meter providers; maximising their relationship with customers through full-service tailored services; and taking advantage of the Internet of Things in a smart connected grid.

The electricity industry can start acting quickly by developing evolved pricing and rate structures, new business models, and new regulatory models. Those changes should make a win-win situation for all. We don’t pretend that all such changes will be quick or easy, but the time to start making them is now.

http://www.businessspe

ctator.com.au/article/20

15/4/15/renewable-

energy/wall-streets-grid-

agreement-solar-and-

batteries-are-coming

16/04/2015 Experts: Powering your home with batteries is going to get cheaper and cheaper

A recent study in Energy Policy, for instance, found that the cost of batteries for home systems (to store the energy collected by rooftop solar panels) is starting to decline – although even with these systems, it probably won’t be economically optimal for most people to ditch the grid entirely. “Solar-plus-batteries is set to begin a dramatic transformation of human civilization,” wrote Bloomberg commentator Noah Smith recently, commenting not only on the declining price of batteries for electric vehicles, but also the potential for more batteries in homes. The recent Energy Policy paper observes, for instance, that “it is anticipated that battery technology may follow the rapid downward price trajectory of PV [solar photovoltaic] as manufacturing scale increases.”

Not only has Tesla seen the cost of vehicle batteries decline, per the Nature Climate Change study cited above. That could be just the beginning, once the company, teaming up with Panasonic, opens its battery-building “Gigafactory” in Nevada. there’s much talk about Tesla’s plans to introduce a home battery unit

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/04/16/experts-powering-your-home-with-batteries-is-going-to-get-cheaper-and-cheaper/

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Climate & Energy

20/04/2015 Batteries and

Renewable Energy Set

to Grow Together

The future of American energy, according to one widely held view, will include solar panels and wind turbinescontinuing to proliferate, churning out ever more electricity and eventually eclipsing fossil fuels to help offset the forces of climate change.

With the cost of renewable technologies falling sharply, that vision is starting to take shape, especially in areas with abundant sunshine or steady wind. Here in California, the state is making such quick progress toward its goal of getting 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020 that Gov. Jerry Brown raised the ante earlier this year, setting a target of 50 percent by 2030.

Challenges remain, however. Despite plummeting prices, large battery systems generally are not yet economical for helping to integrate renewables on a broad scale. Instead, utilities and other companies are using them for different purposes.

“Let’s call it a stretch goal,” Imre Gyuk, who directs a Department of Energy program that has sponsored demonstration projects for energy storage, said of plans for vast deployment of batteries for integrating renewables. Costs still have to come down more, he said, and not just for the cells, but for the control equipment as well. Batteries are especially valuable because they can respond quickly, adding more power to the system in a second or less.

http://www.nytimes.co

m/2015/04/21/science/

batteries-and-

renewable-energy-set-

to-grow-

together.html?_r=0

27/04/2015 Tesla Plugs into New Markets with Batteries for Electricity Storage

Documents filed with the California Public Utilities Commission show that Tesla already has launched pilot projects that leverage technology it has developed for electric car batteries for stationary energy storage.

Tesla's strategy is designed to leverage a planned $5 billion investment by the car company, battery cell manufacturer Panasonic and other partners in a massive lithium-ion battery "Gigafactory" under construction near Reno.

Using dedicated battery systems as well as storage derived from electric vehicle batteries that are no longer strong enough for automotive use but still have life "makes a lot a sense," he said. Already there are enough batteries operating in the nation's small electric car fleet to power all the homes in a city the size of Washington for a day, Baumhefner said.

During the presentation Jaramillo outlined several Tesla pilot projects for using grid-connected batteries to store electricity. He discussed the differing requirements between major utilities for telemetry requirements -- the way large battery storage systems communicate with the grid to prevent power surges and gaps -- and suggested low-cost options.

http://www.toptechnews.com/article/index.php?story_id=123003UITNYI

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

Climate &

Energy

27/04/2015 Tesla planning to rent

rather than sell

batteries

Tesla’s home battery pack will not be available to purchase outright, instead customers will

be able to lease the pack for a decade before handing it back into the company, according

to The Guardian. Customers will pay one down payment of $1,500 (£988) with 10 years of

$15 (£9.88) monthly payments. Considering the price of a normal Tesla battery is $13,000

(£8500), it is an excellent deal cutting $10,000 (£6,500) off the price.

The battery will keep a house online during a blackout, which is more frequent in the US than

the UK. It will also be able to store energy from renewable sources like solar panels.

http://www.itproportal

.com/2015/04/27/tesla-

planning-rent-rather-

sell-

batteries/#ixzz3aaWZA5

i2

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

E-Mobility

02/04/2015 The Price of Electric Car

Batteries is Dropping

Fast

According to a new study by the Stockholm Environment Institute, the days of affordable electric

vehicle batteries may arrive sooner than experts predicted. Research appearing in Nature

Climate Change journal has EV battery costs already lower than they were expected to be in

2020, which means long-range battery-powered cars may arrive on the ambitious timeline

automakers have set.

When Tesla was calculating the impact of its Gigafactory on battery costs, the figure quoted was

$100 per kWh by 2025. Skeptics, notably Menahem Anderman from Advanced Automotive

Batteries, suggested a capacity of $200 by 2020 was unlikely, making Tesla’s plans for an

affordable EV premature. Anderman said $167 per kWh was reasonable to expect by 2025, given

the current state of lithium-ion cells.

Tesla’s decision to open source its patents was seen as a move to increase the number of electric

cars on the road and, with more companies in the game, make it a better market for consumers

and an easier arena for manufacturers. The study on the declining battery prices suggests the

strategy is already paying off for the high-profile EV maker.

http://www.cheatshe

et.com/automobiles/e

lectric-vehicle-battery-

costs-are-dropping-

faster-than-

expected.html/?a=vie

wall

06/04/2015 LG Chem Signs Deal

With Daimler, Becomes

World’s Largest EV

Battery Supplier

Korea’s LG Chem is now the world’s largest EV battery supplier, having just inked a deal with

Daimler to provide batteries for the upcoming Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, which is scheduled

for production in 2016. LG Chem also supplies batteries to Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, Renault,

Audi, Chevrolet, Kia and GM. In all, LG Chem supplies 13 of the world’s top 20 brands. A recent

report by B3 Solutions suggests that the market for lithium ion vehicle batteries will grow to

more than $18,000,000 a year by 2020. That’s the primary reason why Tesla and Panasonic are

investing heavily in the Gigafactory in Nevada, so they can cash in on that burgeoning market.

LG Chem is currently the biggest lithium ion manufacturer, but can they hold on to that lead?

There are lots of other companies snapping at their heels.

http://gas2.org/2015/

04/06/lg-chem-signs-

deal-with-daimler-

becomes-worlds-

largest-ev-battery-

supplier/

15/04/2015 A123 Says Start-Stop

Batteries A Better

Business Than Electric

Cars

Ten years ago, startup lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems was the darling of business

media, poised to enter the big leagues of electric cars after successfully selling its cells to power-

tool makers. Then came the Fisker Karma, U.S. government grants, a factory in Michigan, the

economic meltdown, quality-control problems, and ultimately bankruptcy.

A decade later, the reconstituted A123--now owned by China's largest auto-parts maker,

Wanxiang--sees only 25 percent of its revenue from battery packs for electric vehicles, all of

them in China. The rest is from much smaller batteries for start-stop and so-called microhybrid

systems, which seem much more promising. Most start-stop systems today use absorbent glass-

mat lead-acid batteries, but lithium-ion replacements are expected to replace them as costs fall.

http://www.greencarr

eports.com/news/109

7803_a123-says-start-

stop-batteries-a-

better-business-than-

electric-cars

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

E-Mobility

13/04/2015 Hydrogen fuel-cells face being beaten by batterie

Car companies must expand their offerings of fuel-cell vehicles or risk being pushed out of the burgeoning electric-car market, according to the world's biggest producer of platinum, a component in the technology.

"This is an industry at an inflection point," said Andrew Hinkly, head of marketing at Anglo American Platinum., or Amplats. "If fuel cells do not compete and take a sizable share of that electric-vehicle lineup, then clearly they'll be replaced by batteries or smaller internal-combustion engines."

Hyundai and Toyota introduced their first fuel-cell cars last year. They're up against Tesla, Renault and Nissan, which are backing batteries to make electric vehicles for the masses. The market may only accommodate one of the two technologies given the costs of building refueling and charging stations, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/67827897/hydrogen-fuelcells-face-being-beaten-by-batteries

21/04/2015 Energy and climate effects of second-life use of electric vehicle batteries in California through 2050

As the use of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) further increases in the coming decades, a growing stream of batteries will reach the end of their service lives. Here we study the potential of those batteries to be used in second-life applications to enable the expansion of intermittent renewable electricity supply in California through the year 2050. We develop and apply a parametric life-cycle system model integrating battery supply, degradation, logistics, and second-life use. We calculate and compare several metrics of second-life system performance, including cumulative electricity delivered, energy balance, greenhouse gas (GHG) balance, and energy stored on invested. We find that second-life use of retired PEV batteries may play a modest, though not insignificant, role in California's future energy system. The electricity delivered by second-life batteries in 2050 under base-case modeling conditions is 15 TWh per year, about 5% of total current and projected electricity use in California. If used instead of natural gas-fired electricity generation, this electricity would reduce GHG emissions by about 7 million metric tons of CO2e per year in 2050.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775315007545

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

EU Institutions & Events

Circular economy to take on chemicals legislation

The new circular economy proposals will seek to tackle problems that EU chemicals legislation poses for the recyclability of products, the first priority action list indicates.

The number of chemicals whose use is restricted in EU products “keeps growing”, making it difficult for recycled products to comply with EU chemicals legislation, according to the paper seen by ENDS.

The problem facing products manufactured before the restrictions were put in place requires action at EU level, which can include labelling chemicals in products for easier dismantling and recycling, it states.

The paper drafted by the European Commission’s secretariat general and dated 20 March gathers ideas for a roadmap of initiatives to promote the circular economy. It is scheduled to be published by the end of the year alongside a revised proposal for waste targets and policies.

As part of the waste review, the EU executive will consider setting obligations for separate collection of specific waste streams as well as mandatory targets for recycling rates and residual waste, the paper indicates. It also suggests further analysis is required on the need for EU guidance to deal with food waste.

The Commission aims to narrow the focus of the policy package to ensure the actions proposed can be implemented within its five-year mandate, according to the note. It will focus on sector and product-specific approaches rather than horizontal measures, which it argues are not always best suited to addressing barriers to the circular economy.

Ends Europe Daily 07/04

Metals industry calls for new recycling definition

Recycling should be redefined under EU circular economy proposals to move away from collection towards measuring the material recovered, the EU metals industry has suggested.

Trade bodies for metals (Eurometaux), aluminium (EAA), and steel (Eurofer) called for a more harmonised approach to measuring recycling across member states that would take into account the amount of material processed in recycling facilities as opposed to the tonnages of waste collected. They argued that the latter is the approach currently taken in most countries. The organisations also indicated they would be in favour of aspirational targets based on a common definition, provided that such targets are realistic and economically viable. Eurometaux stressed that the objectives should be more quality than volume-based. Quality recycling should be prioritised within the EU’s circular economy package to encourage the "efficient and sound recovery of valuable and critical metals from recyclable waste and end-of-life products”, said Chris Heron of Eurometaux.

The European Commission is currently drafting new proposals on the circular economy after it withdrew those tabled by its predecessor. A new legislative proposal is planned for the end of the year as well as a roadmap of initiatives to promote the circular economy.

EAA and Eurometaux also said they would support phasing out the landfilling of recyclable waste by 2025 to ensure valuable materials are not lost. But Eurofer argued that landfilling will remain necessary due to economic and technical limitations.

Ends Europe Daily

RECHARGE’s EU REGULATORY UPDATE –April 2015

EU Institutions & Events

EEVC-2015 European Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Congress

Brussels, 1st to 4th December 2015

http://www.eevc.eu/?utm_source=april15&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-april15