Second life for electric vehicle batteries: Hong Kong asks for innovative ideas

The Hong Kong Environment Bureau (ENB) has launched an International Competition on Second Life for Retired Batteries from Electric Vehicles (EV) to help identify innovative and practical ideas for second-life applications of retired EV batteries.

In Hong Kong, the Government’s promotion of EV has led to an almost 60-fold increase in the EV population in less than six years (from less than 100 at the end of 2010 to over 5,800 at the end of July 2016). Since retired EV batteries still have 70 percent to 80 percent of electricity storage capacity, their potential for second-life applications is immense. The Competition will help find innovative and practical ideas for re-using retired EV batteries, whose numbers are expected to increase with the increased popularity of EV. “Retired EV batteries still have 70 per cent to 80 per cent of electricity storage capacity. They have immense potential for applications. The number of retired EV batteries is expected to increase as EV’s popularity grows,” an ENB spokesperson said.

The Competition will help find innovative and practical ideas for re-using retired EV batteries, whose numbers are expected to increase with the increased popularity of EV. The Competition is divided into two Groups, the Open Group and the Student Group. The former is open to all whilst the latter is open to students up to and including secondary school level. For each Group, individual entry and group entry are welcome.

Entries will be assessed based on three key aspects – “originality”, “viability” and “value & impact” by a three-tier assessment structure including a Shortlisting Committee (first tier), an Assessment Board (second tier) and a Judging Panel (third tier). The first two assessment tiers will shortlist from the entries five finalists for each group for selection of winners by the Judging Panel. The Judging Panel comprises renowned local and international experts from the academia and the relevant industries.

The finalists of the two Groups will be announced in May 2017. They will have to present in person their entries to the Judging Panel at a championship-cum-award ceremony to be held in Hong Kong on June 25, 2017. A sponsored visit to green facilities in Germany will be awarded to the winners (the champion, first and second runners-up).

The deadlines for registration and submission of entry are October 31, 2016 and January 31, 2017 respectively. Details of the Competition are available on the website of the Competition.

Source/Photo: Environment Bureau. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region