Project Description

The Research Training Group (RTG) Circular E-Cars has set itself the ambitious goal of transforming the Rhineland mining region into a leading European hub for research, development, and innovation aimed at establishing metal-focused circular economies for electric cars (e-cars). To this end, all necessary expertise from scientific institutions, investment partners, and know-how partners will be networked, synchronized, and systematically expanded over time within an innovation ecosystem. The project’s vision is to break new ground in the circular economy for various material flows from electric cars and to establish these practices in the Rhineland mining region. Circular E-Cars thus contributes to job creation and to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Together with companies and partners from industry and academia, Circular E-Cars is researching how electric cars can be integrated into circular value chains. In doing so, the so-called R9 strategies—namely, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle, and Recover—are systematically applied. The goal is to preserve the value of products and materials for as long as possible. To this end, an agile innovation network is being established that both fosters stable partnerships and can respond flexibly to changing sustainability requirements. The particular scientific challenge lies in working across disciplines—not only in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary manner, but also with a clear focus on societal impact. The consortium was specifically assembled to bring together diverse perspectives: In addition to the participating companies, academic institutions such as RWTH Aachen University (with platforms such as the Center for Circular Economy, the REVIERa transformation platform, the Mine ReWIR network, and HumTec), Münster University of Applied Sciences, the University of Siegen, the Wuppertal Institute, and Humboldtn—an initiative of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Rectors’ Conference—are contributing their respective expertise.

As part of the project, the Chair of International Production Engineering and Management (IPEM) at the University of Siegen is focusing on the development of digital process chains and the data-driven optimization of resource-efficient manufacturing processes. A particular focus is on the processing of recycled metals in additive manufacturing, as well as on the use of artificial intelligence for process control and optimization. Further information can be found on the Circular E-Cars project website .