Cutting-edge solutions to repurpose EV batteries, paving the way for a cost-effective and sustainable circular economy.

Brussels, February 2025 – A new project – REBORN* – is set to make second-life batteries an economically viable and technically reliable solution against the backdrop of the European Union's Green Deal. The 11 partners, including research institutions, industry leaders, and technology innovators, met on February 6 at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (coordinator) to work on the EU co-funded project, which started in January this year.

With the exponential rise in demand for batteries in electric mobility and renewable energy storage, managing the end-of-life phase of batteries in a sustainable way has become one of the most pressing challenges of our time.
“The REBORN project aims to close the battery circularity gap by developing cutting-edge solutions for safe and reliable 2nd life battery use” said the coordinator Prof. Md Sazzad Hosen (VUB).
In this respect, REBORN introduces a set of innovative solutions to make current battery repurposing more efficient. These include advanced battery management systems (BMS) development, wireless communication, AI-driven data analytics, and new solderless mechanical interconnections. They help make assembly and disassembly faster and safer, and they reduce labour costs and the risk of battery damage.
Additionally, semi-automated robotic dismantling will improve the safe and efficient handling of used battery packs, while a life cycle assessment (LCA) will quantify the environmental benefits of the adopted technologies. The project will also develop advanced models and algorithms to ensure the safe and reliable integration of the reconfigured battery systems.
One of REBORN's key objectives is to reduce the cost of repurposing and refurbishing EV batteries by 30%, accelerating the transition to a circular economy and ensuring compatibility with the battery passport concept outlined in EU regulations.
"REBORN is a pioneering project which needs to reach stakeholders right across the battery value chain. That's where ICONS comes in: we will raise the project's profile and ensure its innovations really help towards a circular economy and a sustainable society," states Jasmin Jabbarpour, Project Management Officer at ICONS.
*Reusable battery module and management system development for reliable 2nd life

The REBORN consortium brings together key players from across Europe, with Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) as the project coordinator, alongside CEA (France), LEITAT (Spain), THI (Germany), ICONS (Italy), CSEM (Switzerland), IREC (Spain), EVE System (France), Fico-Triad (Spain), Siro Silk Road (Turkey), and ETRA Investigación y Desarrollo (Spain) and Joint Research Centre (NL).