Aiways, a new circular economy project for the reuse of batteries and motors

The Chinese manufacturer Aiways has always placed at the center of its corporate strategy “Blue and Green”, sustainable and low environmental impact mobility. For example, in the car manufacturer’s production plant, all process steps related to the production of electric cars have been developed and optimized in terms of of environmental sustainability and resource conservation. In addition, the brand collaborates with the German company Priorec which deals with the recycling of batteries and other car components.

Now, Aiways has announced a pilot project in the context of the circular economy in collaboration with the French Green Vision which specializes in the reuse of high voltage components in the automotive industry. The goal of this project is to get to reuse the electric motors of the cars in other areas and to give a second life to the batteries.

According to what has been reported, Green Vision has received 4 test vehicles now discontinued of the Aiways U5 SUV pre-series that will be used in a series of circular economy projects. The batteries can be used to create storage systems that can be exploited, for example, in combination with photovoltaic systems.

The engines of the 150 kW electric SUV will be reused in the future in electric pleasure boats. The second life of the batteries is certainly not new. Several builders are working on similar projects. However, the Aiways U5 batteries are well suited to be reused. In fact, it is possible to easily remove the entire battery pack and the individual modules can be extracted quickly and easily, thanks to the structure designed by the Chinese manufacturer.

The advantages also apply to the drive unit, which combines motor, inverter, gearbox and control unit in one housing. This allows the powertrain to be used directly in other applications, such as the previously mentioned electric boats. Therefore, the new life given to the essential components of the transmission increases the percentage of reusable materials coming from Aiways vehicles, further improving their sustainability.