The Safe Handling of High Voltage Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Components within the Global Vehicle Recycling Industry

摘要

Global sales of electric and hybrid vehicles continue to grow as emission legislation forces vehicle manufacturers to build cleaner vehicles, with some 8 million already in service. Hybrid and Electric vehicles contain some of the most complex systems ever used in the automotive field, sophisticated and unique electric hybrid systems are added to modern motor vehicles which are already quite complex. As these vehicles reach the end of their lives they will be processed by the global vehicle recycling industry and the high voltage components will be reused, recycled or re-purposed. This paper explores safe working practices for businesses involved in a global marketplace who are completing battery disabling, removal, disassembly, storage and shipping; includes the various technologies and safe working practices along with some of the legal restrictions on dismantling, storage and shipping of high voltage batteries around the world. The paper will also explore how detailed safety, dismantling, storage and shipping information is currently made available to the vehicle recycling community and how this can be improved in the future to enhance the safety of people handling, dismantling, storing and shipping high voltage electric and hybrid components.