Remanufacturing and Electrification of (used non road mobile) Machinery (REM)

Non road mobile machinery (NRMM) is critical to the economy, but it is also a major source of pollution contributing around 2% of CO2, 15% of nitrogen oxide and 5% of the particulate matter emissions in the EU (Poulsen, 2017). Decarbonisation via electrification is essential for NRMM to achieve Net Zero. However, The incoming fossil fuel emission ban in the UK will soon lead to the existing used Internal combustion engine (ICE) NRMM being scrapped with the loss of their embedded value. Remanufacturing (as-good-as-new refurbishment) and Electrification (RE) of these used NRMM could contribute to a circular economy and accelerate Net Zero through retaining the value of used NRMM by adding zero-tailpipe-emission service life of 10 to 15 years, with a typical 20% to 30% reduction in costs and emissions compared to equivalent new electric machines.

End users demand electrical NRMM to reduce machines' operation and maintenance costs, yet new electrical NRMMs are often too expensive and not available. There are growing interests from industry, especially asset management companies (AMCs), in RE of NRMM for keeping them competitive and compliant with incoming legislation (UKCA and fossil fuel emission ban). But few are currently engaged in this. The uptake of RE of NRMM is plagued by two serious business challenges including

* A lack of information and tools to facilitate profitable and sustainable decisions; _- RE has to be conducted individually due to the large variety and varying conditions of used NRMM, some profitable and environmental friendly, some not_
* The concerns of legally required recertification, e.g. CE/UKCA mark, of remanufactured and electrified NRMM and the associated legal liability makes it an daunting task for businesses;- _Currently, there is no clear route, criteria or procedure for this._

Addressing these challenges and with an initial focus on forklifts, REM studies the feasibility of a new concept of a digital calculator to quantify cost and emission benefits, thus empowering informed and sustainable decisions for RE of NRMM, develops a framework for recertification of the remanufactured and electrified NRMM to create the right market conditions for business to flourish, and establishes a business model, namely a trade association, as the route to market of the proposed concept. This project could be a game-changer for the industrialisation of RE of NRMM, and will surely enhance business' resilience to the supply chain disruptions.