Remanufacturing of electric vehicles: Evaluation of economic potential

Due to the conceptual degrees of freedom in product design, electric vehicles offer great potential for implementing the basic idea of the circular economy. Remanufacturing as a central element of a circular economy enables the material and energetic reutilization of the structural components of electric vehicles. The resulting prolonged product life has the potential to reduce the ecological footprint in electric vehicle production. However, the economic potential is unclear. Based on the evaluation of the remanufacturing suitability of the vehicle structure and the presentation of the generic remanufacturing process in electric vehicle production, four remanufacturing scenarios are formed. By means of the calculation of the total cost of ownership of remanufactured vehicles, these scenarios are evaluated with regard to their economic potential.