Second-life use: Audi e-tron battery modules power electrify rickshaws in India

The e-rickshaws powered by second-life batteries are scheduled to hit the roads in India for the primary time in a pilot mission in early 2023. There they are going to be made accessible to a non-profit group. Women in specific will be capable of use the all-electric rickshaws to move their items to marketplace for sale, all with out the necessity for intermediaries. The e-rickshaws are powered by used battery modules that spent their first life in an Audi e-tron. “The old batteries are still extremely powerful,” says Nunam cofounder Prodip Chatterjee. “When used appropriately, second-life batteries can have a huge impact, helping people in challenging life situations earn an income and gain economic independence – everything in a sustainable way.”

The start-up’s main objective is to develop methods to make use of previous batteries as second-life power storage programs, thus each extending their lives and utilizing assets extra effectively.

“Car batteries are designed to last the life of the car. But even after their initial use in a vehicle, they still have a lot of their power,” Chatterjee explains. “For vehicles with lower range and power requirements, as well as lower overall weight, they are extremely promising. In our second-life project, we reuse batteries from electric cars in electric vehicles; you might call it electric mobility ‘lite’. In this way, we’re trying to find out how much power the batteries can still provide in this demanding use case.”

“Reusing e-waste”

“E-rickshaws have an ideal eco-efficiency,” says 31-year-old Chatterjee. With a high-energy-density battery and relatively low car weight, the electrical motor doesn’t should be significantly highly effective, since rickshaw drivers in India journey neither quick nor far. While electrically powered rickshaws are usually not an unusual sight on the roads of the subcontinent at this time, they typically run on lead-acid batteries, which have a comparatively quick service life and are sometimes not disposed of correctly.

At the identical time, rickshaw drivers cost their autos primarily with public grid electrical energy, which has a excessive proportion of coal-fired power in India. Nunam has an answer for this as effectively: The e-rickshaws cost utilizing power from photo voltaic charging stations. The photo voltaic panels are positioned on the roofs of the native accomplice’s premises. During the day, daylight prices an e-tron battery, which acts a buffer storage unit. And in the night, the power is handed on to the rickshaws. This strategy makes native driving largely carbon-free. The upshot: The electrical rickshaws can be utilized all through the day – and nonetheless be charged with inexperienced power throughout the night and evening. In India, the place the solar shines all 12 months spherical, putting photo voltaic panels on the roof is a no brainer. The charging station was additionally developed internally.

Nunam constantly screens the e-rickshaws’ efficiency and vary. The social entrepreneurs make all of the e-rickshaw information they acquire accessible to potential imitators on the open-source platform https://circularbattery.org/. In truth, imitation is expressly inspired. “Initiatives like the one pioneered by Nunam are needed to find new use cases for e-waste. Not only in India, but worldwide. So Nunam shares its knowledge to motivate more initiatives to develop products with second-life components that can drive the eco-social revolution forward,” says Audi Environmental Foundation Director Rüdiger Recknagel. The Foundation has been funding Nunam since 2019.

Moreover, after the battery has spent its first life in an Audi e-tron and its second in an e-rickshaw, it has not essentially reached the tip of the street. In a 3rd step, the batteries’ remaining power is perhaps used for stationary functions corresponding to LED lighting. “We want to get everything possible out of each battery before recycling,” says cofounder Prodip Chatterjee.

In the long run, electrical mobility and photo voltaic vitality may help scale back India’s dependence on fossil fuels corresponding to coal, scale back the massive quantity of exhaust emissions on India’s roads, and supply folks with a dependable power provide. Rüdiger Recknagel feedback: “In many ways, this project is pointing the way forward.”

“Anchoring sustainability in training early on”

In addition to the rickshaws supposed for street use in India, the trainees on the Neckarsulm website are creating an extra present rickshaw in cooperation with Nunam. Visitors to the GREENTECH FESTIVAL in Berlin can test it out – and even give it a take a look at drive – from June 22. Under the steerage of Timo Engler, head of automotive engineering / logistics coaching in Neckarsulm, a twelve-strong workforce of trainees is enjoying a key function in growth. “The trainees and Nunam are in constant communication with each other – we have a dedicated line between Neckarsulm and Bangalore. In building the show rickshaw, our trainees are focusing on range, charging time, and design – the result is a rickshaw with Audi’s DNA,” says Engler. “To us, it’s important that the trainees are involved in the project from start to finish and are given the freedom to contribute and try out their own ideas. ‘Learning by doing’ is our recipe for success. At the same time, we impart fundamental knowledge in the development of electromobility, resource efficiency, and charging technologies in an almost playful, incidental way. It’s a groundbreaking project because it combines the megatrends of sustainability, electromobility, internationalization, and social responsibility.”

The trainees changed the combustion engine with an electrical one and designed the underfloor to each accommodate the second-life batteries and be splashproof, utilizing as many recyclable supplies as attainable all of the whereas. Mechatronics technicians, coachbuilders, painters, software mechanics, IT specialists and automation technicians had been all concerned in the mission. “We are thrilled to be able to offer our trainees the opportunity to participate in an international project through the Foundation’s network. It promotes the intercultural exchange of know-how and technology, from which both sides benefit greatly,” says Rüdiger Recknagel.