The National Technical Committee of Auto Standardization (SAC/TC114) is soliciting opinions on the recommended national standard Recovery of Traction Battery Used in Electric Vehicle — Echelon Use — Part 5: Battery Design Guide for Echelon Use (Draft for Comments). The deadline for submitting comments is set for 10 July, 2024.
As new energy vehicles in the Chinese market gradually enter the retirement phase, retired batteries can still meet the requirements for various echelon (secondary) uses, such as in low-speed electric vehicles, as backup power source for telecommunication base stations, and in electrical energy storage. However, issues arise in these echelon uses because the design of power batteries originally did not consider end-of-life applications in terms of materials, structure, and interfaces. This results in challenges in disassembling retired batteries, barriers to their secondary use, or complex and costly processes, thus hindering the development of the secondary use industry and leading to wastage of resources and energy.
This standard aims to resolve these issues by establishing terms and definitions, general requirements, and design requirements for the echelon use of vehicle power batteries. It applies to the design of new traction battery cells, modules, and battery packs.
To date, China has developed over ten national and sector standards in the area of power battery echelon utilization. Among these, the first four parts of this standard have already been issued, addressing residual energy testing, dismantling requirements, echelon use requirements, and product labeling, respectively. These standards will provide strong support for the implementation of relevant government policies and regulations, including the 14th Five-Year Plan for Industrial Green Development, the Administrative Measures for Comprehensive Utilization of New Energy Vehicle Power Batteries, the Interim Administrative Provisions on Traceability, Recycling and Utilization of New Energy Vehicle Power Batteries, the Notice on the Launch of the Encoding and Filing System of Vehicle Power Battery, and the New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035).
Since, to date, there are no international standards currently specifically addressing the design of power batteries for echelon use, this standard will be the first of its kind in the field. The technical solutions included in the standard, such as battery pack structural design, control algorithm development, and monitoring and diagnostic technologies, may serve as a reference for other countries in developing similar standards in the future.
