Honda Motor Europe is expanding its partnership with French company SNAM (Société Nouvelle d’Affinage des Métaux) to include the collection and recycling of lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries.
The expansion of the agreement will see SNAM collect lithium-ion and NiMH batteries from Honda’s dealer network and Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATF) across 22 countries.
The pan-European arrangement will see SNAM analyse batteries from hybrid and EVs with the goal of either repurposing them into ‘second-life’ energy storage systems or extracting materials using hydrometallurgical processes.
SNAM is studying the possibility of using the ‘second life’ ESSs in domestic and industrial applications.
The companies have worked together on disposing end-of-life batteries in accordance with European Union environmental standards for seven years.
If the batteries are unsuitable for ‘second life’ applications, materials such as cobalt and lithium will be extracted using hydrometallurgy techniques involving the use of aqueous chemistry.
The agreement applies to large ‘traction’ batteries used to power motors in hybrid and electric vehicles, as opposed to smaller batteries used for ignition in petrol or diesel cars.