Comments Off on Join the EIT Mobility Talk on circular and safe Batteries for Light Electric Vehicles
Founded in 2019 as an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) a body of the European Union, EIT Urban Mobility is committed to accelerating the transition to sustainable mobility.
EIT Urban Mobility accelerates the sustainable transition by providing established businesses, startups, universities, research institutes and the public sector with access to markets, talent, funding and knowledge. They empower their partners to develop and deploy new solutions that address the mobility challenges European cities face. EIT Urban Mobility is co-funded by the European Union.
EIT Urban Mobility organises, among other things the Mobility Talk series, which brings together public and private experts to discuss current mobility topics of interest.
Demand for Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) batteries has boomed in recent years, mostly as (shared) e-bikes and e-scooters have grown in popularity among consumers. For the European mobility and energy ecosystem, this raises critical questions that the public and private sectors need to tackle collaboratively: what are the conditions for a sustainable uptake of LEVs powered by resource-efficient batteries? What are current market needs? What are the available solutions?
In this Mobility Talks, experts, among whom LEVA-EU Manager Annick Roetynck will provide insights on the latest evolutions of the LEV market and their implications for the battery value chain, while reflecting on the circularity and safety aspects that are crucial to ensure a sustainable trajectory for LEV batteries.
Comments Off on China adopts mandatory national Battery Standard for E-Bikes
Source 强制性国标发布，涉及电动自行车用锂电池安全_河北省文物局 (hebei.gov.cn): On May 6, the “Safety Technical Specifications for Lithium-Ion Batteries for Electric Bicycles” (GB 43854-2024), a mandatory national standard drafted by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, has been approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation and will be officially implemented on November 1, 2024.
The technical specifications stipulate the safety requirements and test methods for lithium batteries for electric bicycles, both at single cell and battery pack levels. For single cells, six safety requirements have been considered: overcharge, over-discharge, external short circuit, thermal abuse, puncture, and marking. As for battery packs, the requirements mainly pertain to electrical safety, mechanical safety, environmental safety and thermal diffusion. The requirements also deal with data collection and marking.
The technical specifications only apply to lithium-ion batteries for electric bicycles with a maximum output voltage not exceeding 60V as stipulated in the “Electric Bicycle Safety Technical Specifications” (GB 17761). They do not apply to electric scooters, self-balancing vehicles, motorcycles, etc. Upon the implementation of the standard, all lithium-ion batteries for electric bicycles sold in China must meet these requirements.
Currently, the number of electric bicycles in China has exceeded 350 million. In 2023, enterprises above a nationwide designated size will produce a total of 42.28 million electric bicycles. Among the new electric bicycle models released by major domestic electric bicycle brands, more than 20% are equipped with lithium-ion batteries.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, this mandatory national standard for the safety of lithium-ion batteries for electric bicycles and the technical specifications are of great significance to standardizing the design, production and sales of lithium-ion battery products for electric bicycles. They are aimed at improving product quality and safety levels and at promoting the development of the electric bicycle industry in a positive way.
This new Chinese standard is not relevant for batteries imported from China to the EU. These batteries must comply with EU rules and regulations as for instance ensuing from the new Battery Regulation. Furthermore, the EN-standards for EPACs, e-mountain bikes and for e-cargocycles also have requirements pertaining to the batteries.
The two UK cycle industry trade associations, the Bicycle Association and the Association of Cycle Traders, have teamed up to release industry guidance on lithium battery fires and road legal e-bikes
Everyone in the cycle industry will be aware of recent reports and headlines about e-bikes fires, some of which have, sadly, had tragic and even fatal consequences.
Additionally, in recent months a number of fatal collisions have occurred on electric motorcycles which were generally referred to in the media as “e-bikes”.
These reports risk giving the impression to the public, incorrectly in our view, that all such vehicles are unsafe. This could have serious repercussions, potentially putting at risk the growth potential of e-bikes as a transport and climate solution, and deterring e-bike customers at a time when market conditions are already challenging.
Now, the two cycle industry trade bodies in the UK, the Bicycle Association and the Association of Cycle Traders, have issued guidance sheets for the industry, aiming to counter the often misleading media headlines.
The first guidance note summarises statements from fire services and industry experts to clarify the distinction between e-bikes from the reputable industry (which are generally very safe) as opposed to e-bikes, conversion kits, batteries and chargers which may pose significant fire hazard if certain risk factors are present, for example being sourced from overseas via online marketplaces.
The second guidance note clarifies exactly what is road legal as an e-bike – and makes clear the actual legal status of vehicles which are often incorrectly reported as e-bikes but which are in fact unregistered motorbikes.
The BA and ACT hope this guidance will provide authoritative resources for the industry:
Retailers, and others, can use the document on fire risk to reassure customers and potential customers that by buying through reputable industry channels they will maximise safety The fire risk document may also be a useful aid in responding to media enquiries, although companies may prefer to refer these to the national trade associations The document about road legal e-bikes will, the BA and ACT hope, provide useful clarity for industry, customers and media, to dispel public confusion about road-legal e-bikes vs other vehicle types. Any company in the cycle industry is welcome to use, print out or distribute these documents freely – but the BA and ACT request that they are not amended.
Peter Eland, Technical and Policy Director at the Bicycle Association, said:
“We hope these resources will set the record straight on the very safe products which our industry provides. Being clear and consistent about battery fire risk factors, and the law around e-bikes, is essential to get the message across.”
Jonathan Harrison from the Association of Cycle Traders said:
“There is a perception that has been allowed to develop that e-bikes are dangerous and it is simply not true. Let’s help educate owners to avoid e-bikes, batteries and chargers that do not meet UK safety standards, and boost awareness of the real safety benefits of buying from a specialist retailer.”
This joint initiative with the ACT is the latest development in the Bicycle Association’s work on these issues. To date this has included:
Instigating a cross-Government roundtable in March, bringing together Department for Transport, DEFRA, ROSPA, the Association for British Insurers and Active Travel England. Assisting the Department for Transport in developing guidance, which should be published shortly, for users, for premises managers and for public transport operators. Working closely with the Office for Product Safety and Standards and their researchers, ahead of recommendations being made for future regulation. Representatives from OPSS and their researchers have attended a number of Bicycle Association technical meetings, to take industry input. The BA has also engaged with the charity Electrical Safety First, which has been raising awareness of the fires issue and advocating urgent Government action. The BA has also worked extensively in conjunction with the DfT-backed Cycle Rail Working Group on continued e-bike access to trains and stations. The BA has made publicly available resources for the industry to assist with safe sourcing of batteries, their correct transport and storage. Also available on that link are press releases and statements making clear the industry position. The BA is piloting a battery collection and recycling scheme which will take waste batteries from retailers at no cost for safe and proper disposal. Finally, the BA has engaged regularly with the mainstream media in an effort to add the industry voice on the fire issue, and also to clarify what is a road legal e-bike and what is not. Further joint industry initiatives are under development and will be announced shortly, say the two trade associations.
The EU risks falling behind in its bid to become a global battery powerhouse, according to a report published by the European Court of Auditors.
It is true that the EU’s industrial policy on batteries has been promoted effectively in recent years. But access to raw materials remains a major roadblock, along with rising costs and fierce global competition. The EU’s efforts to grow its battery production capacity might therefore not be enough to meet the increasing demand, meaning it may fall short of its 2035 zero-emission goal, the auditors warn.
Nearly 1 in every 5 new cars registered in the EU in 2021 had an electrical plug, and the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is to be banned by 2035. This has made batteries a strategic imperative for the EU. But Europe’s battery industry is lagging behind its global competitors, particularly China, which accounts for 76 % of global production capacity. To jump-start the EU’s bid to become a global battery powerhouse, the European Commission published a strategic action plan on batteries in 2018. It has largely delivered the plan’s key instruments to support the sector, including strategic leadership, laws and funding.
“The EU must not end up in the same dependent position with batteries as it did with natural gas; its economic sovereignty is at stake”, said Annemie Turtelboom, the ECA member who led the audit. “By planning to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, the EU is betting heavily on batteries. But it might have the weaker hand in terms of access to raw materials, attractiveness to investors and costs.”
Between 2014 and 2020, the battery industry received at least €1.7 billion in EU grants and loan guarantees, on top of state aid of up to €6 billion authorised between 2019 and 2021, mainly in Germany, France and Italy. But the auditors found that the European Commission has no overview of all public support for the industry, which hinders adequate coordination and targeting.
The EU’s battery production capacity is developing rapidly, with the potential to grow from 44 GWh in 2020 to 1 200 GWh by 2030. However, this projection is by no means guaranteed and could be jeopardised by geopolitical and economic factors.
Firstly, battery manufacturers may abandon the EU in favour of other regions, not least the US, which offers them massive incentives. Unlike the EU, the US directly subsidises the production of minerals and batteries, as well as the purchase of electric vehicles made in the US using American components.
Secondly, the EU depends heavily on imports of raw materials, mainly from a few countries with which it lacks trade agreements: 87% of its raw lithium imports come from Australia, 80 % of manganese imports from South Africa and Gabon, 68% of raw cobalt imports from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 40% of raw natural graphite imports from China. Although Europe has several mining reserves, it takes at least 12-16 years from their discovery until production, making it impossible to respond quickly to increases in demand. However, current contractual arrangements typically secure the supply of raw materials for only 2 or 3 years of forward production. In March this year, the European Commission proposed a Critical Raw Materials Act to address this situation, the auditors note.
Thirdly, the competitiveness of EU battery production may be jeopardised by rising raw material and energy prices. At the end of 2020, the cost of a battery pack (€200 per kWh) was more than double the amount planned. In the last two years alone, nickel has risen in price by over 70% and lithium by 870%.
The auditors also criticise the lack of quantified, time-bound targets. Some 30 million zero-emission vehicles are expected on European roads by 2030 and, potentially, nearly all new vehicles registered from 2035 onwards will be battery-powered. However, the EU’s current strategy does not assess the capacity of its battery industry to meet this demand.
Overall, the auditors warn of two potential worst-case scenarios should the EU battery production capacity fail to grow as projected. The first is that the EU could be forced to delay its ban on vehicles with combustion engines beyond 2035, thus failing to meet its carbon-neutrality objectives. The second is that it could be forced to rely heavily on non-EU batteries and electric vehicles, to the detriment of the European automotive industry and workforce, in order to achieve a zero-emission fleet by 2035.
Background information
In April 2018, the European Commission published its action plan on batteries, with the overall aim of making Europe a global leader in sustainable battery production and use. It covers the different stages of the value chain and sets out goals and tools for achieving them.
The action plan identifies six objectives: (1) securing access to raw materials, (2) supporting European battery cell manufacturing at scale, (3) supporting EU research and innovation on advanced and disruptive technologies, (4) strengthening the EU workforce and skills, (5) supporting the sustainability of the EU battery cell manufacturing industry, (6) ensuring consistency with the broader enabling and regulatory framework.
Special report 15/2023, “The EU’s industrial policy on batteries: new strategic impetus needed”, is available on the ECA website.
In 2021, the ECA published a report on the European infrastructure for charging electric vehicles, which concluded that the EU is still a long way from reaching its Green Deal target of 1 million charging points by 2025, and that it lacks an overall strategic roadmap for electro-mobility.
Electrified transportation demands lithium in record-high quantities, prompting expanded mining activities and environmental degradation. New research explores if it is possible to limit this sequence of events.
A new report from T. Riofrancos, et al., in collaboration with the Climate + Community Project and the University of California, Davis explores the impact of increased lithium mining in relation to increased electric vehicle use.
“A crucial aspect of electrified transportation is new demand for metals, and specifically the most non-replaceable metal for EV batteries – lithium. If today’s demand for EVs is projected to 2050, the lithium requirements of the US EV market alone in 2050 would require triple the amount of lithium currently produced for the entire global market. This boom in demand would be met by the expansion of mining.
“This report finds that the United States can achieve zero emissions transportation while limiting the amount of lithium mining necessary by reducing the car dependence of the transportation system, decreasing the size of electric vehicle batteries, and maximizing lithium recycling. Reordering the US transportation system through policy and spending shifts to prioritize public and active transit while reducing car dependency can also ensure transit equity, protect ecosystems, respect Indigenous rights, and meet the demands of global justice.”
The recently released report is an incredible technical insight into one of the core arguments against the implementation of electrified transportation. Of course, it is encouraging to see LEVs, which contain significantly smaller batteries, cited as a key tool for combating the issue of high lithium demand. Access the full report, here.
Comments Off on Greenway completes move into new Taizhou HQ
The LEVA-EU member, who produces battery packs for use in LEV projects, has moved into a new state-of-the-art headquarters.
The new property, based in Taizhou, China, has a footprint of 23,000 square meters, with a total construction area of 100,000 square meters and a workshop area of approximately 64,000 square meters. Alongside existing key staff, the HQ will contain Greenways’ new R&D and Innovation centre, ensuring the company’s lithium-ion battery products are of the highest quality.
Comments Off on Preliminary agreement on new EU Batteries Regulation
On 9 December, Council, Parliament and Commission have reached an agreement on the draft text for a new EU Regulation on Batteries. Although LEVA-EU has won a few battles, it is too early to claim victory yet.
The new EU law will have a very considerable impact on batteries for light, electric vehicles (LEVs) and on the LEV-sector as a whole. The agreed compromise is not available yet and still needs official approval from Parliament and Council, but this is what we know so far:
Thanks in part to the work of LEVA-EU, the text holds a separate category for what is called batteries for light means of transport (LMT). With reservation, we quote the definition of that category as follows: “LMT battery means any battery that is sealed and weighs below or equal to 25 kg, designed to provide electric power for the traction to wheeled vehicles that can be powered by the electric motor alone or by a combination of motor and human power including type-approved vehicle of category L in the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013, and that is not an electric vehicle battery.“
LEV-batteries of more than 25 kg will come under the category of electric vehicle batteries.
The law will have rates for the collection of end-of-life LMT-batteries. Partly thanks to LEVA-EU, this rate will be calculated based on batteries “available for collection” (AfC), rather than batteries “put on market“.
The new legislation will introduce extended and rigorous sustainability requirements. LEVA-EU has consistently and repeatedly protested these sustainability requirements for LMT-batteries. They would be imposed on LMT-batteries without the Commission having first conducted an impact assessment. Seemingly, the three authorities have agreed to maintain the 2 kW limit for some of these sustainability requirements. Until the compromise text is available, we are unable to determine for which requirements the limit has been retained.
All in all, LEVA-EU’s position has been broadly observed. Let’s hope the devil will not be in the details. Next year, the text will be submitted to the Plenary of the European Parliament and to the 27 Member States for final approval.
LEVA-EU member Tiler showcases their e-bike charging unit at Move 2022, with industry interest for this novel charging solution continuing to grow
For those unfamiliar, Tiler offers a new patented e-Bike charging infrastructure technology that relies simply on a kickstand and a tile built flush into the floor. The cable-free system utilizes inductive charging, with energy transfer taking place between the embedded infrastructure in the floor and a unique kickstand that is apparently compatible with around 80% of the market’s e-Bikes.
This unique solution combats a growing issue within the LEV sphere – obtrusive charging infrastructure that removes valuable street space and may create a trip hazard. A single in-ground eBike charging tile measures 300mm x 500mm x 80mm, while the platform iteration comes in at 1748mm x 600mm and 94mm deep.
Comments Off on Battery Experts Forum and Eurobike – parallel events create new synergies
A double power pack: The two leading events in the industries of battery technology and bike mobility are providing a unique opportunity for a cross-disciplinary transfer of knowledge and new contacts. The Battery Experts Forum, Europe’s largest conference on the subject of battery technology, is moving into the time slot from 12 to 14 July 2022 for its 17th edition and will be a direct neighbour of the leading trade fair Eurobike (13 to 17 July), also taking place at the Messe Frankfurt site.
“The triumphant progress of the e-bike is closely linked with that of global battery technology. By coinciding with the prestigious Battery Experts Forum the new Eurobike will be promoting inspiration on both sides as it brings more international specialists into contact with each other and creates a greater momentum at the same place and same time,” points out fairnamic Managing Director Stefan Reisinger.
The Battery Experts Forum, Europe’s largest conference for the battery industry, celebrated its premiere at the Frankfurt am Main exhibition site with a sell-out event in 2019. With the current expansion, the BMZ Group is responding to the high demand and has transformed the new location into a gathering for the battery technology industry as a whole over the three days. CEO and founder Sven Bauer explains: “In 2022 we are hoping for further growth of the Battery Experts Forum and are rapidly becoming the world’s largest battery conference. In conjunction with the parallel Eurobike show, we are creating new synergies and boosting exchange with other sectors of industry.” From 12 to 14 July (open daily from 9 am to 5 pm) the event with some 100 specialist talks on seven stages in the conference centre will additionally be occupying Hall 6 at the fair grounds and will expand its exhibition area to more than 10,000 m². The BMZ Group is expecting 160 exhibitors and around 5,000 participants from more than 50 nations. Further information is available at www.battery-experts-forum.com.
The 30th edition of Eurobike runs from Wednesday 13 July, to Sunday 17 July 2022, from 09:00 to 18:00 each day. On Saturday and Sunday, it will be open to the general public. The leading trade fair is using the entire western section of the Messe Frankfurt site to create a perfect circuit covering more than 100,000 m² of hall space that will showcase the bicycle in all its many facets. Included in this tour are Halls 8 and 9 as well as the new Halls 11 and 12, both of which have two levels. More than 1,400 exhibitors and some 100,000 participants are expected from all over the world. For more information, please visit: www.eurobike.com.
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