Circular E-Cars
As part of the “Circular E-Cars” Research Training Group, the Chair of Materials Science and Testing is investigating materials science issues related to the recycling of materials from electric vehicles. The goal is to better understand and process streams of metallic materials and to make them usable for high-quality applications in line with a circular value chain.
Project Description
Circular E-Cars addresses the question of how materials from end-of-life electric vehicles can be more efficiently recovered, evaluated, and incorporated into high-value recycling loops. Compared to conventional vehicles, electric vehicles contain higher proportions of valuable non-ferrous metals as well as new composite materials and plastics. At the same time, existing dismantling and recycling processes are often time-consuming and costly, meaning that the potential of these material streams has so far been exploited only to a limited extent.
The Research Training Group is therefore developing new approaches to the circular economy and recyclability of electric vehicles. In doing so, technical, environmental, and economic issues are considered together: from resource-efficient disassembly through the sorting and evaluation of relevant material fractions to the question of how recovered materials can be reintegrated into industrial applications.
The Chair of Materials Science and Testing at the University of Siegen is contributing its expertise in materials science to the project. The focus is particularly on the characterization, evaluation, and further processing of metallic materials, as well as on how material condition, composition, microstructure, and processing are interrelated. In this way, the LMW is helping to make recycled materials from electric vehicles more usable and to support closed-loop material cycles for future mobility applications.
Key Areas of the Project
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Development of innovative approaches for the recycling of materials from electric vehicles
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Investigation of valuable material streams, particularly metallic material fractions
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Assessment of the recyclability and reusability of recovered materials
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Materials-engineering characterization of material states, compositions, and microstructures
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Examination of disassembly, sorting, and processing procedures in the context of circular value creation
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Supporting high-quality secondary material cycles for industrial applications
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Integration of materials testing, process understanding, and sustainable product development
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Contributing to resource-efficient electromobility and strengthening the regional circular economy
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Incorporation of support for early-career researchers within the framework of an interdisciplinary graduate research training program
Everything at a Glance
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Duration
August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2028 (Ongoing) -
Research Area
Materials Science and Circular Economy -
Funding
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Funding Agencies and Partners
Circular E-Cars is an interdisciplinary graduate research training program aimed at improving the circularity and recyclability of electric vehicles. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space. The project is scheduled to run from August 2024 to July 2028.
Participants in the project include RWTH Aachen University, Münster University of Applied Sciences, the University of Siegen, and the Wuppertal Institute. The University of Siegen is contributing several departments to the Research Training Group, including the Department of Materials Science and Testing. Together, the partners are working to develop innovative approaches to disassembly, recycling, materials assessment, and circular value creation for electric vehicles.