Tennessee Tech receives $4.8 million federal grant to improve electric vehicle battery recycling
Pingen Chen, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech, is pictured
standing in front of a 2019 Nissan Leaf, part of a fleet of electric vehicles used
in Tech's research and outreach efforts. Chen is now the project lead on a nearly
$5 million federal grant to help improve electric vehicle battery recycling.
Researchers at Tennessee Tech University are set to receive a nearly $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help improve the nation’s electric vehicle
battery recycling ecosystem.
The effort is part of a $45 million federal initiative supporting projects at eight
businesses or institutions, including the likes of General Motors, Caterpillar Inc.
and Siemens Corporation. Tech is the only grant recipient in the southeast.
Pingen Chen, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Tech, will serve as
project lead for the university.
A longtime advocate for electric vehicle technology, Chen has been awarded millions
in previous federal grants to help spur electric vehicle adoption and proliferate
electric vehicle charging stations in rural communities. Last year, he helped bring
a fully electric shuttle vehicle to Tech’s campus, the first such vehicle found anywhere outside of an urban center
in Tennessee.
“We hear concerns in rural communities when people are considering an electric vehicle
– what do we do with the battery when the vehicle is retired?” explained Chen. “Our
goal is to figure out the most efficient, cost-effective and safest way to recycle
these batteries at the end of their life cycle.”
Today, electric vehicle battery recycling can be a complex process. Tech’s project
aims to make the system more seamless and user-friendly by developing a first-of-its-kind
“mobile preprocessing hub” that can be taken to local collection sites, allowing electric
vehicle owners to have batteries safely disassembled and shredded on-site.
The batteries’ raw materials will then be extracted, studied and reused in battery
manufacturing – creating a circular economy that protects scarce minerals and supports
the sustainability of the electric vehicle industry.
The grant marks the continuation of a years-long focus for Chen, whose belief in the
potential of EV technology was informed by his own upbringing.
“I grew up in a rural, low-income community and I know electric vehicles can help
people in those settings reduce their transportation costs,” said Chen. “In Tennessee,
for example, where we have very affordable electricity rates, an electric vehicle
can actually save you over 50 to 60 percent on transportation costs.”
Other Tech faculty joining Chen on the project include Stephen Canfield, professor
of mechanical engineering, Nan Chen, assistant professor of electrical and computer
engineering (no relation), Jiahong Zhu, professor of mechanical engineering, Daniel
Yoon assistant professor of mechanical engineering and Michael Aikens, assistant vice
president for economic development and director of Tech’s Center for Rural Innovation.
No stranger to problem-solving research, Canfield has commanded national attention for his “Tech Engineering for Kids” project, in which students in his classes engineer
custom products for Tennessee children with special needs.
Canfield’s involvement in this project will focus on leveraging collaborative robotics
to help execute the mobile preprocessing hub. Students in his robotics class will
get a unique chance to participate in the effort – all part of Tech’s longstanding
commitment to expanding undergraduate students’ research opportunities.
The grant is far from Tech’s only federally funded project to support electric vehicle
adoption. The U.S. Department of Energy also awarded Chen and his colleagues a separate
$1 million grant to continue their work expanding electric vehicle charging availability and helping
city agencies – including those in Chattanooga and Nashville – integrate more electric
vehicles into their fleets.
The surge in funding support comes as Tech recently marked four consecutive years of record-setting research hauls, topping last year’s record by $10 million – something
Canfield explains is not only significant for Tech, but also for the Tennesseans helped
by the university’s research enterprise.
“Our mission is to serve the State of Tennessee. We have so many engineering students
that come through and do that,” said Canfield. “These research projects allow us to
solve large problems and educate our students at the same time. It’s exciting because
we’re growing our students, we’re growing our research, and we’re integrating the
two to serve our state and solve real problems. I think that’s what makes Tennessee
Tech so wonderful.”
