A project that aims to maximize the utility of electric vehicle batteries is being launched in Jeju. Jeju Special Self-governing Province and Jeju Technopark are inviting companies to conduct the “Demonstration Project to Reuse Electric Vehicle Batteries.”

By applying high-performance electric vehicle batteries to industrial sites that require relatively low-performance batteries, reusing batteries will lead to resource circulation and environmental conservation. Electric vehicle batteries that have reached the end of their life in electric vehicles can typically be used for energy storage devices or uninterruptible power supply systems.

The Demonstration Project to Reuse Electric Vehicle Batteries will provide companies with reusable batteries that are evaluated for performance, and support them to develop and pilot prototypes with high potential for applications.

Jeju Technopark, the agency in charge of this project, will evaluate the companies’ battery capacity and safety management measures and select about two companies.

Selected companies can receive a battery from one vehicle in the form of a pack or module and up to 95 million won for R&D costs. If the utilization of the developed product and the business potential are excellent, additional batteries may be supported for pilot operation.

In addition, considering the recent deterioration of the company due to the effects of Corona 19, the company’s contribution was reduced to 10% of the total project cost, and the initial portion of the subsidy subsidized to 70% was minimized.

Eligibility to apply is limited to companies registered as a business in Jeju Province to strengthen the capabilities of provincial companies. The execution period is about 6 months, and to foster local industries in related fields, the information on the battery status obtained through the pilot operation should be shared with Jeju Technopark for the next five years.

This Demonstration Project to Reuse Electric Vehicle Batteries is expected to promote the growth of the resource-circulating industries in Jeju by reusing electric vehicle batteries recovered from accidents and end-of-life equipment.

◌ Batteries of electric vehicles purchased with subsidies must be returned to the head of the local government in accordance with the Clean Air Conservation Act when the vehicle registration is cancelled.

To support the use of reused batteries, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province opened Electric Vehicle Battery Industrialization Center at Jeju Technopark on June 26 last year to conduct research that evaluates the performance of recovered batteries.

Since 2017, Jeju Technopark has been authorized by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province to collect EV batteries in Jeju and researched how to reuse them. They are exploring solutions to reuse and dispose of them ahead of the anticipated massive wastes starting in 2021.

Thus far, the total number of EV batteries collected are 101, including 22 SM3s, 25 Ioniqs, and 10 Souls by car model.

“This project will help energy and battery companies in the province obtain new technologies and try them for the first time in Korea, which may allow them to preoccupy the extraprovincial technological market in the future,” remarked an official from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.