Track Vehicle Batteries Through Recycling
Sector: Secondary sector · Industry: Automotive industry · Organisation: Ford Motor Company, Everledger, Cirba Solutions, Li-Cycle · Maturity level: Pilot
Ford Motor Company and Everledger launched a six-month battery passport pilot in 2022 in collaboration with Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle. Various electric vehicle batteries were tracked across their lifecycle using auto-identification technologies and blockchain infrastructure. The initiative aimed to verify responsible end-of-life recycling and document the recovery of critical raw materials.
Documentation status
- Project status: Pilot (as of 01 October 2022) — In October 2022, the six-month trial of the battery passport in operational use began.
- Evidence: Evidence medium
- Editorial review: pending
Description
Ford Motor Company tested a digital system for tracking drive batteries up to their material recycling together with Everledger, Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle. The project closes the gap between the end of vehicle use and the recovery of critical materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. In this way, car manufacturers and recycling companies can provide tamper-proof evidence of which raw materials have been returned to the cycle.
As part of the six-month pilot project, Ford and Everledger examined the use of Auto-ID methods and blockchain technology for the end-of-life management of electric vehicle batteries. Both older battery models and the latest generation Ford batteries were tracked through various stages of dismantling and recycling. The specialised recyclers Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle documented the receipt, dismantling and material processing of the battery packs on the platform. The distributed ledger structure ensures that status changes and quantity balances of the recovered metals are recorded immutably. The initiative serves manufacturers and regulatory authorities as practical preparation for future legal requirements regarding digital product and battery passports.
Perspectives
B2B — organisations perspective
Vehicle manufacturers and recycling partners establish a trusted data exchange regarding the condition and whereabouts of decommissioned batteries. This facilitates contractual settlement of recycling quotas and optimises the planning of secondary raw material flows.
B2C — consumers perspective
End customers indirectly benefit from transparent take-back processes and proof that their end-of-life vehicles are recycled in an environmentally responsible manner. However, direct end-user access was not the primary focus of this industrial pilot.
Employees perspective
Employees in dismantling facilities and workshops can quickly access relevant safety and material data of the battery via identification systems. This simplifies inspection processes and reduces risks when handling potentially hazardous components.
Benefits
General
- Transparent proof of closed raw material cycles for critical battery metals
- Legally secure and immutable documentation of the recycling process
- Increased traceability of battery condition at end of use
B2B — organisations
- More efficient handover and billing processes between vehicle manufacturer and recycler
- Simplified proof of regulatory recycling and recovery quotas
Employees
- Faster access to technical data on battery safety
- Reduced documentation effort through standardised digital status reports
Challenges
General
- Need for uniform labelling and data standards across heterogeneous company systems
- Physical durability of identification features over years of vehicle use
B2B — organisations
- Integration of proprietary inventory management systems of multiple recyclers into a common platform
- Protection of business-relevant process data while ensuring required transparency
Employees
- Training requirements for workshop and recycling personnel on new data capture tools
Technology foundation
The approach combines Auto-ID methods such as barcode and RFID identification with a blockchain-based tracking platform from Everledger. The decentralised data storage enables tamper-proof documentation of battery conditions, ownership changes and dismantling steps across multiple independent organisations.
Implementation examples
Everledger battery passport pilot with Ford, Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle
With the increase in electric vehicles, the challenge arises to manage end-of-life processes in a legally compliant and efficient manner, as well as to verifiably return valuable secondary raw materials to the supply chain.
Ford tested seamless tracking of electric vehicle batteries through to raw material recovery with Everledger and the recycling companies Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle.
In October 2022, Ford Motor Company and the technology company Everledger initiated a six-month pilot for the traceability of drive batteries. Various generations of Ford batteries were recorded using Auto-ID and DLT-based protocols to transparently map the entire journey from removal to recycling. The partners Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle fed recycling data directly into the system to securely log the recovery of critical metals against forgery.
Unclear histories of decommissioned batteries, lack of process transparency between different recycling facilities, and missing standardized documentation on the whereabouts of critical raw materials.
Tags
Battery passport, Circular economy, Recycling, Traceability, Auto-ID, Raw material security