Febelauto, the Belgian management organization for waste vehicles and industrial batteries, will organize a circular truck and bus event in December. The event will take place in Beringen on December 11th. Importers and OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) will be invited to sign a manifesto that day. Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) will attend the event.

With the event, Febelauto responds to the new European Battery Regulation, which will come into effect from February 18th, 2024, to sensitize truck and bus brands for safe and environmentally friendly recycling of their electric and hybrid vehicles.

Strict procedures

Since 2019, Febelauto has represented 21 Belgian manufacturers and importers of passenger cars and vans. With 58 affiliated car brands, Febelauto represents 98,4% of the electric and hybrid vehicles marketed in Belgium.

Febelauto recognizes the need to tackle the recycling challenges of electric and hybrid trucks and buses. Since they have a complex chemical composition and are subject to a very high electrical voltage, processing batteries must occur according to strict procedures. Moreover, these batteries are large and heavy, and the necessary safety procedures must be respected.

Recycling efficiency rate

“Over the last two years, we have collected and processed more than 8 000 discarded HEV batteries or almost 190 tons in Belgium and Luxembourg,” Febelauto explains. One-fifth (21%) of those batteries are reused as second-life applications, and 79% go to recycling. Together, this represents a recycling efficiency of at least 50%.

However, the new European Battery Regulation significantly raises the bar. Not only will the recycling rate of HEV batteries increase, but for the first time, attention will also be paid to the entire lifecycle: from the production of a battery to the end of its lifespan.

Second-life applications

Restrictions will be imposed on using particular resources (lead, mercury, cadmium), and manufacturers must provide batteries with a kind of ‘battery passport’ containing information about the battery in question. This way, Europe focuses on reduced dependence on critical raw materials, and guarantees responsible handling of batteries from production to the end of their lifespan.

Although recycling large, high-voltage batteries is perfectly possible from a technological point of view, it is not always the best solution. Febelauto primarily strives for second-life applications for all its collected bales.

Storage system

Batteries, no longer suitable as EV batteries for buses and trucks, can still be used as a storage medium for energy from sustainable sources, such as wind turbines or solar panels. After an average life of seven years in a bus or truck, battery modules can easily serve another ten years in an energy storage system.