Disassembly of end-of-life automotive traction battery packs: A cost analysis and benchmark of distinct technological approaches

To mitigate anthropogenic climate change, industries and governments increasingly manufacture and promote electric vehicles. Albeit the recycling of the growing number of electric vehicle batteries at their end of life has become economically feasible, the recovered materials typically exhibit lower purity. Although disassembly can enhance material composition and thus market value, manual state-of-the-art disassembly remains economically challenging. While numerous automation solutions have been proposed in literature, comparative cost analyses among these technological approaches remain scarce. This article therefore addresses the gap by developing analytical models designed to quantify the costs associated with distinct technological approaches for electric vehicle batteries cover removal - a crucial step in the disassembly process. Employing a step-fixed cost method, costs of three selected disassembly technologies were analytically modeled and subsequently provisionally validated through literature-based case studies. The models demonstrate economic viability for automation and especially laser technology. Moreover, manual and automated unscrewing are also investigated.