XCharge North America (XCharge NA), specializing in DC fast-charging and battery-integrated electric vehicle solutions, announced a partnership with the Grensol Group to enhance sustainable, electrified travel by focusing on the reduction of end-of-life waste from electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), specifically targeting EV charging cables and modules. This collaboration is set to provide Grensol and its research partner, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), with broken or worn-down EVSE materials for the development of an industrial recycling solution.
The partnership will explore and build upon existing recycling techniques, including wire cutting, alkaline leaching and steam cracking, by introducing a full-unit recycling system tailored for waste-reduction management in the production of EV chargers. Initial steps have seen the shipment of the first components, such as charging cables and modules, from XCharge NA to Grensol and WPI for processing, marking the beginning of this ambitious initiative to create a more sustainable future for EVSE material use and recycling.
Grensol, utilizing advanced metals recovery and photolysis technologies, aims to process the waste and convert it into useful raw materials for new EVSEs, promoting a circular economy. The research underpinning these initiatives at WPI is being led by Prof. Brajendra Mishra and Akanksha Gupta and falls under a collaborative agreement with the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory.
The parties involved have underscored the importance of this partnership in addressing the challenge of EVSEs' short lifespan due to wear and tear, highlighting the opportunity to develop low-cost circular materials solutions that contribute to resource sustainability and carbon-emission reduction. The mutual interest in sustainable automotive solutions was discovered while XCharge NA and Grensol were part of the Harvard Innovation Labs, leading to this collaborative effort aimed at improving product life-cycle management through innovative recycling methods.
