Every year, automotive component manufacturers around the world are earmarking more resources to help reduce their carbon footprint. Sustainable manufacturing not only addresses these environmental concerns but also offers the potential for significant economic and operational benefits.
Economic benefits
Sustainable practices often lead to lower energy consumption and reduced material costs, which in turn enhance business profitability. Companies like TERREPOWER, a division of BBB Industries whose mission is to give new life to critical components and materials to lower costs, reduce waste, reuse resources, and protect the environment, offer renewable energy solutions to customers worldwide by sustainably remanufacturing electric vehicle (EV) batteries and solar panels to drive the industry’s clean energy and mobility future forward.
For example, TERREPOWER’s approach to sustainably manufacturing EV batteries involves targeting and replacing non-functioning cells with functional ones, extending the battery’s life by as much as a decade and significantly reducing the need for new materials and associated costs. The company collaborates with automotive manufacturers to provide remanufactured battery options, which helps reduce costs for consumers who need to replace their batteries outside of the warranty period.
“When you create an EV battery, so much time, money and value is in that battery. We want to get that extra 10 years out of that EV battery to mitigate some of the supply constraints that new EVs are seeing,” says Theo Lamperis, sustainability analyst at BBB Industries and its TERREPOWER division.
Reduced environmental impact
The environmental benefits of sustainable manufacturing cannot be overstated. In fact, in 2023 BBB Industries reported saving over 160,000 metric tons of carbon via sustainable manufacturing practices, equivalent to the amount of carbon that about 190,000 acres of forests would remove in a year.
Not only does TERREPOWER’s remanufacturing process for both EV batteries and solar panels significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to producing new components, but it also helps reduce the reliance on mining new raw materials needed for battery cells to function.
“If the United States is to adopt EV batteries as forecasted, there could be a critical material shortage heading our way. TERREPOWER can provide a whole segment of batteries with 10 years more life, we can mitigate portion of that demand,” Lamperis says. “That gives us the opportunity to preserve more of those resources before we feel that squeeze.”
Enhancing energy independence
By using second-life batteries for stationary energy storage, excess power gained from renewable sources like solar can be stored and used when needed, thus reducing the reliance on the grid and enhancing a company’s energy security.
“This is a totally different way to think about power when we talk about coupling solar with stationary storage,” Lamperis says. “It challenges our traditional way of thinking about power, which is pay when you play. Now, you can instead pay upfront and have a sustainable system.”
As the global focus on sustainability intensifies, the adoption of sustainable manufacturing practices will be crucial for building a more resilient and resource-efficient industrial future. By prioritizing reuse prior to recycling, sustainable manufacturing can drive significant positive change, benefiting both businesses and the planet.
Sponsored by TERREPOWER.
