A consortium of vehicle OEMs, research institutes and organisations is aiming to develop the UK’s first commercial-scale recycling supply chain for automotive lithium-ion battery packs.
The Recovas partnership aims to provide a standardised route for recycling and repurposing lithium-ion electric vehicle batteries at a scale that can cope with expected sales— especially as the UK plans to stop selling combustion engine vehicles by 2030.
The consortium includes: European Metal Recycling (EMR); Bentley Motors; BMW; Jaguar Land Rover; the University of Warwick; the Health and Safety Executive; the U.K. Battery Industrialisation Centre; Autocraft Solutions Group; Connected Energy; and uRecycle.
The three-year project begins next January, with partners expecting to introduce a commercially operating circular supply chain by 2024.
Partners will triage batteries when they arrive at approved end-of-life vehicle treatment facilities across the UK to decide if they can be used for remanufacturing, reuse or recycling.
Roger Morton, managing director for technology and innovation at EMR, said: “Our aim is to create a circular supply chain for batteries and, in the process, reduce the cost for end-of-life disposal for the vehicle manufacturer or last owner of the car to zero.
“By working in partnership with the Recovas consortium, electric vehicle manufacturers will develop simple design changes that greatly improve the potential to remanufacture, reuse or recycle their batteries at end of life. This will help to transform the economics of the electric vehicle market.”
