Abstract for: Will second-use EV battery start-ups get trapped in the valley of death?

Retired EV batteries can be given a second-life by repurposing them into stationary storage batteries, offering economic and ecological value for battery suppliers. While this concept seems promising and is being picked up by start-ups, various factors raise concerns about its long-term existence. Falling prices and longer lifetime of new battery prices, increased battery safety requirements, high demands by consumers and lacking governmental support challenge the approach. This paper investigates whether the EV battery repurposing market is about to get trapped in the Valley of Death (VoD). To assess a long-term robust business model for repurposed EV batteries, we developed a System Dynamics model and analysed the impact of ten business strategies to overcome a potential VoD. We expect from the simulation results that repurposed EV batteries will hold a profitable position in the market for the next 10 years, providing supplier and customer value compared to new stationary battery models. After this period, we assume OEM collaboration to prevent suppliers from falling into a VoD. Furthermore, we expect complementary business strategies as necessary to hold a profitable position in the market; without these efforts, we expect startups to get trapped in a technology Valley of Death. used to refine the writing of the 'results and discussion (Work in progress)' section