TREASoURcE: Existing and upcoming challenges for extending electric vehicle battery life-time
Updated on 10.07.2025
This report delves into the challenges associated with extending the lifetime of electric vehicle batteries, focusing on four key categories: technical, regulations & legislations, ecodesign, and safety & reliability. Through thorough analysis, ten challenges have been identified, and their summaries are presented. These challenges are interconnected, highlighting the need for a comprehensive and collaborative approach.
Relevance for Circular Systemic Solutions
The report examines the electric vehicle battery (EVB) value chain, with a focus on second-life applications, engaging key stakeholders such as battery manufacturers, policymakers, energy storage providers, and recyclers. It provides practical insights for cities and regions by mapping technical, regulatory, ecodesign, and safety challenges.
These challenges include limited access to battery management system (BMS) data, the diversity and complexity of battery chemistries and designs, the absence of regulatory frameworks for repurposing, and the lack of standard safety protocols. Additional barriers relate to time-consuming battery evaluation procedures, disassembly difficulties due to glued or welded modules, negative public perception around fire risks in second-life systems, and inadequate storage and installation safety practices.
This report supports Circular Systemic Solutions through industry-policy collaboration, regulatory alignment for circularity, and technical and economic guidance to optimize second-life battery applications. This report is particularly valuable in the Map phase of Circular Systemic Solutions deployment.
CEAP2 key product value chain
<5 000
large 500 000-200 000, medium 200 000-50 000, and small cities 50 000-5 000
predominantly urban regions, intermediate and predominantly rural regions, refer to TERCET typology NUTS 3 region
e.g. commercial, residential, service, industrial
