A second life for li-ion cells rescued from notebook batteries

• Published in: Journal of energy storage Vol. 24; p. 100747
• Main Authors: Salinas, Felipe, Krüger, Lars, Neupert, Steven, Kowal, Julia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2019
• Subjects: 18650 cells; Li-ion; Second life; Second life; Li-ion; 18650 cells
• ISSN: 2352-152X; 2352-1538
• DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2019.04.021

•152 notebook batteries were investigated as an alternative source for Li-ion second life cells.•A method is proposed to calculate the cost of second life cells.•Selection scenarios determine if the cost is lower than today’s price.•Data stored in the BMS is used to predict the capacity of the cells inside a battery. Second life for Li-ion batteries is an extensive research area for batteries used in electric vehicles. In this paper the concept is extended for Li-ion cells obtained from discarded consumer electronics. 152 notebook batteries were disassembled, obtaining 1034 cells and recovering 5.44 kW h of storage capacity. A methodology is proposed to transform notebook batteries into characterized cells, and calculate the cost of second life cells. Concerns are addressed about the selection of cells and design of a second life battery. Finally, a method is proposed to select notebook batteries containing cells with more than 70% capacity, by using data saved in their Battery Management System and test results to train a selection algorithm.