Daimler Truck is the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, with 100,000 employees worldwide in 35 main locations. Batteries are the most expensive part of its vehicles. Therefore, it is unsurprising it focuses on recycling, repurposing, and remanufacturing every electric truck battery in its growing fleet.
A Second Life for Every Electric Truck Battery
David Carson is senior vice president at Daimler Truck, North America. He told Fleet Owner, “We’re not just focused on the life cycle of the battery within the utilization of the truck. We’re focused on recycling, repurposing, and remanufacturing batteries once they do reach the end-of-life stage.”
This move to a circular economy aims to extend the lifespan of batteries, and ultimately their materials. The trigger to do so would be when the electric truck battery no longer meets the vehicle specification, and it would comprise these three stages.
Phase One – Remanufacture the Battery
The first phase involves reinstating the battery to its original specification. It would ship to the nearest battery remanufacturing facility, which would take it apart to the extent necessary to replace faulty modules. The reconstituted battery would have to meet or exceed new product standards to re-enter the market.
Phase Two – Repurpose the Electric Truck Battery
The second phase involves finding another use for a battery that is working well, but cannot meet the specification for new battery output. Daimler Truck North America has its eyes on energy storage systems, that bolster grid capacity. This repurposing would support a utility network during high demand.
Phase Three – Recycle the Battery Materials
When a battery can no longer remanufacture or repurpose, then Daimler Truck North America will recycle it in partnership with a battery material recycling company. The plant doing the recycling will use an ‘environmentally-friendly and safe method’. This involves using a liquid-based solution with a 95% recovery rate.
We welcome positive approaches like this, using materials already in our market as efficiently as we can. In fact, we should apply a similar approach throughout all our markets, as we move towards the circular economy we need urgently.
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