Towards a green electromobility transition: A systematic review of the state of the art on electric vehicle battery systems disassembly

To achieve the sustainable development goals, there is a need to realize a green electromobility transition. Yet, this alone is not enough. There is also the question on how to manage end-of-life battery systems to reduce environmental pollution caused by improper disposal. A major challenge is battery disassembly, which precedes any reuse or recycling. If this disassembly is not cost-effective, cost-efficient, and scalable, the potential of electromobility will not realize or may even backfire. In response to this pressing issue, this study presents a systematic review of the literature on battery disassembly to summarize the state of art of the 43 papers identified, and to present a pathway for further developments of the field. Although the field evolved over the last years, many questions remain unanswered. Main issues are the automated disassembly of electric vehicle battery systems that can adapt to different variants, and the generation of data records for disassembly optimization using AI algorithms. This necessitates standardizing the design of electric vehicle battery systems and its process steps. Practical application trials can be conducted initially by providing data on the product life cycle of electric vehicle battery systems. In general, identified papers are less than expected. This raises the concern that research once again remains reactive instead of proactively finding solutions.