Towards circular EV chargers

Abstract

Over the past years, electric vehicle charging company EVBox has, in collaboration with design agency VanBerlo made the first steps in becoming more circular. Within this project further steps have been explored on both strategic- and product level of EVBox’s commercial AC chargers. First, an analysis on the EV context led to the conclusion that there are many stakeholders involved that need to be included in the value retention process and that EVBox could strengthen its market position by differentiating by becoming circular rather than just sustainable. Secondly, through a method dubbed reverse logistics mapping the economic viability of implementing maintenance and repair-, remanufacturing-, recycling- and component harvesting strategies was explored. A cascading strategy where all benefits of the aforementioned strategies can be added up, was chosen as the most fruitful. Thirdly, by disassembling two chargers Disassembly Maps (De Fazio, 2018) could be made where areas of improvement were found. The EVBox Iqon was chosen as the focus product and redesigns were proposed based on the areas of improvement and priority components, namely the charger cables, side panels and kWh-meter. Through Disassembly Map-guided brainstorm sessions multiple redesign proposals were developed within the solution spaces of a redesigned installerbox that allows for the harvesting of the kWh-meter; mechanical fastening of the PMMA plates to completely liberate the side panels for reconditioning; and a modified stopper mechanism to allow easier replacement of the cables. The chosen redesign is a custom installerbox which allows for a decrease of disassembly time of 76% compared to the original design. Furthermore, this project has proven that the Disassembly Map is a suitable tool to evaluate and guide redesign sessions for EV chargers. This project resulted in a proposal for EVBox’s future approach to circular design: Standard definitions of circular jargon have to be implemented throughout the whole company to facilitate communication and avoid miscommunication on the topic. The tools used in this project, namely the Disassembly Map and Reverse Logistics Mapping can be used to guide future circular design activities. The tools can be used on other products within the portfolio or to develop the focus strategy and product further. It is preferable to take circularity into account from the earliest stages of development, as it is difficult to optimise a product for circularity that is already on the market. When optimising a product for circularity that is already on the market, it is advised to focus on optimising 1 area of the product per time. The actual implementation of circular strategies goes much further than calculations and redesigns; the structure of a company has to be adapted too. If EVBox manages to successfully implement a cascading strategy both in- and outside the company, it can become one of the sustainable frontrunners in the EVSE market. In the long term it might be worthwhile to change to a subscription model, also known as ‘charging as a service’.