Abstract:

E-mobility and developments in information and communications technology (ICT), partly combined in vehicles with high integrated driving assistant systems belong as typical example to the main technological game changers, as they combine several modern technologies and, as a consequence, a large amount of relevant functional components and materials in one device.  Aspects such as the electric drive train, more ICT in the vehicles and lightweight construction lead to a different material composition of the vehicles.  The handling of degraded products, waste streams and secondary raw materials that can be generated from those should be in line with the demands of an upcoming Advanced Circular Economy approach. Material requirements are developing dynamically depending on product development and consumer behavior. Accordingly, the recycling system must also behave even more dynamically and predictively as it is now and has to be transferred into highly flexible process routes. This may lead to dynamic shifts in the needs and values of the respective components and materials recovered along the process chain. This paper presents a novel approach for a predictive and flexible response to dynamically shifting needs in the circular economy chain, contributing to what shall be in future an Advanced Circular Economy System. ICT combined with an information marketplace can at the same time help to establish a smart and predictive circular economy system.