E-mobility is the megatrend in the mobility sector. Compared to the fossil combustion engine and other alternatives such as hydrogen or e-fuels, it offers significant ecological advantages and is besides a significant reduction in private motorized transport therefore a central component of the transport revolution. The critical vehicle component in e-mobility in terms of raw materials and energy consumption is the traction battery. For economic, ecological and social reasons, it is particularly important that the resources are used as efficiently as possible. One challenge in establishing e-mobility based on fully integrated battery systems is the need to expand the charging infrastructure and users' concerns about having to make longer stops for charging when driving long distances. Here, swapable battery systems could be an interesting alternative or supplement in terms of efficiency, user acceptance and recycling.
The aim of this project is to compare the currently common fully integrated battery systems with a swapable battery system - with regard to their systemic-ecological, economic and cycle-related properties and taking user requirements into account. The aim is to develop a scientifically based foundation that promotes the potentials with regard to a circular economy in general and also assists stakeholders in decision-making regarding innovative battery systems and recharging concepts.
After a selection of the variants to be analyzed in the case of fully integrated or swapable batteries, the potential fields of application as well as the relevant vehicle types are examined in more detail. Here, the effects on batteries, vehicle construction, but also on user acceptance are identified through user surveys, expert interviews, stakeholder workshops, literature research, battery simulations and evaluation of conducted tests. With these results, we perform a comparative evaluation of the different battery systems in terms of ecological, economic and overall system effects.