Scooter parked under a tree on a sidewalk.

The Project

Identity of the LITTLE Project

Logo of the LITTLE Project on red background

Life Cycle of Soft Mobility Vehicle Batteries

TAMS Lab, Engineering School, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Patras

Funding body: The Green Fund
Financing Programme: Natural Environment and Innovative Actions 2023
Priority Axis: 3 “Research and Implementation”

Duration: 03.04.2023 – 02.04.2025

Micromobility

PLEV – Personal Light Electric Vehicles: A promising solution for urban mobility

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  • Traffic Congestion
  • Accessibility / Connectivity
  • Ease of use
  • Low carbon footprint

Many issues have been raised

  • Road accidents: many and serious
  • Anarchy in parking and driving
  • Certification of vehicles
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Related to the batteries

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  • Danger of fire / explosion
  • Non-negligible carbon footprint
  • Low battery life
  • End of life, recycling?

LITTLE Project’s Goals

Best utilization of the capabilities of PLEVs to cut back on the climate change through the Life-Cycle Analysis on the batteries of micromobility vehicles

1. Quantification and evaluation of the battery impact on the environment

2. Optimization of the energy performance on all phases of the life cycle

3. Public awareness, implementation of pilot actions, policy formulation

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Research scope

Analysis of the impacts of micromobility vehicles on their life-cycle and mitigation proposals.
Micromobility
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PLEV: Scooters and Bicycles
Life-Cycle
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  • Raising awareness
  • Information
  • Recycling network
  • Integration into policies
Mitigation
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  • Manufacturing
  • Usage
  • End of life

Methodological framework for impact analysis

Before use
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  • What? Manufacturing and shipping of vehicles
  • How? Bibliography, market research, discussions with entities, agencies, carriers
During use
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  • What? Conditions and habits of driving and charging
  • How? Lab and field experiments
End of life
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  • What? Recycling possibilities
  • How? Pilot actions, market research

Impact Analysis Before Use

Research Questions
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  • Which are the most common products / models?
  • What type of battery is in use?
  • Where are they manufactured and with what materials?
Equal CO2 footprint

Impact Analysis During Use

Research questions

  • What are the drivers’ preferences?
  • Choice of route and infrastructure (gradient, bike lane, etc.)
  • Choice of time and traffic conditions (congestion, weather, visibility)
  • Choice of speed and acceleration (vehicle dynamics)
  • Choice of frequency and type of charging
  • How are the batteries reacting to the users’ choices
  • Energy consumption for different types and “ages” of batteries

Methodology

Field experiments
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  • n = 10 drivers
  • Total = 2.000 trips
  • Free-roaming or predetermined
  • Consumption and usage
Simulator
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  • n = 30 drivers
  • Consumption and usage during dangerous or rare conditions (e.g. high bicycle load)
Statistics
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  • Development of a consumption model
  • Correlation of observations and questionnaire answers

Impact Analysis After Use

Research questions

  • Which are the usual practices in Greece and abroad?
  • Which are the possibilities of better PLEV end of life management?
Model recycling plan
Eco-friendly driver’s manual
Inclusion in SUMPs, EVCPs, etc.
Pilot applications in:
  • Municipality of Larisa
  • Municipality of Kalamata
  • University of Patras

LITTLE Project: High-impact Innovation

Green symbols of arrows and text "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"
  • Subject: New knowledge on an unexplored field
  • Approach: interdisciplinary and systematic
  • Methods: Combination of classic and innovative tools
  • Social and environmental impact: Deliverables directly addressed to users and authorities
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