SLIM: Second-Life Interchangeable battery Modules Reefilla’s case study: Li-ion battery module evolution for circular urban mobility applications

This project introduces an innovative approach for reusing and extending the lifespan of second-life Li-ion batteries. It is developed in collaboration with Reefilla, a startup founded in Turin in 2021 and currently incubated in I3P at Politecnico di Torino. Starting from the VDA3xx battery module a new architecture and packaging approach have been designed enhancing flexibility and support multiple applications. These characteristics can be achieved by leveraging a brand new swappability features and embedding a smart BMS to trace over the module lifetime important value such as SOH. The concept design has been conceived to simplify the manufacturing process employing high pressure die casting that uses recycled aluminum. This job has been done with the collaboration of Endurance group and the participation in a European initiative aimed at environmental conservation (IPCEI). HPDC production process improves cell’s protection and enhance thermal performances without compromising the energy weight ratio. To achieve swappable attributes, a dedicated handling system has been specially designed for VDA3xx modules. The rotating handle and the locking system enables compliance with the specified constraints while preserving the product's ergonomics. The project proceeded by conducting an in-depth analysis of the potential applications for the new module. Among the multiple usages enabled by this architecture, a small urban vehicle has been chosen as a demonstration of a real-life application of the module. Starting from a benchmarking analysis and progressing through the definition of functional objective, a performance evaluation was conducted. In accordance with the international WLTP regulation the final range of a quadricycle vehicle has been determined.