Electric vehicle battery recycling project is a step toward sustainability in the UK

Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group focused on supporting the transition to net zero, has announced a project to produce and validate EV battery cells using materials recovered from end-of-life EV batteries.

In a first for the UK, the project will demonstrate battery cells produced with recovered cathode active materials (CAM) which will be validated for use in vehicles with a leading automotive OEM.

The project has been made possible through the support of the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, under the latest round of its Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator (ARMD) competition.

Working alongside JLR, a global luxury car manufacturer, Altilium will leverage its advanced EcoCathode process to deliver a significant carbon reduction in EVs. By recovering critical materials including lithium, cobalt, and nickel, Altilium’s process reduces the need for newly mined materials, resulting in a 60% reduction in carbon emissions.

JLR will conduct comprehensive validation studies on the pouch cells at its testing facilities.

Production of the battery cells is planned to take place at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), the UK’s national battery manufacturing scale-up facility, using recovered battery materials produced by Altilium at its new mini-commercial ACT2 facility, as well as its ACT1 pilot, both in Devon.

Dr. Christian Marston, Altilium COO, comments, “We are proud to lead this pioneering project with JLR that brings us one step closer to a circular economy for battery materials in the UK. By demonstrating that EV battery cells made from recovered materials can meet the rigorous standards of the automotive industry, we’re not only reducing the environmental impact of battery production but also supporting the UK’s efforts to build a more sustainable and resilient EV supply chain. This project is a vital milestone in our mission to decarbonize the battery value chain and support automotive OEMs in achieving their regulatory and sustainability goals.”

The project builds on Altilium’s previously announced partnership with UKBIC, supported by Innovate UK’s Faraday Battery Challenge, to begin rapid prototyping of EV battery cells using recycled CAM. Both projects will be crucial in de-risking the scale-up of Altilium’s battery recycling operations and helping to strengthen the UK’s position in the global EV supply chain.

Sean Gilgunn, managing director of UKBIC, says, “We’re delighted to be part of this innovative project which will help the industry move towards an even cleaner future. Our role in the battery ecosystem is to help companies prove their new materials and technologies can be industrialized, and working with Altilium will help them prove their recycled CAM can be an effective option in future EV batteries.”

According to new research by the Faraday Institution, demand for UK EV battery manufacturing capacity will reach nearly 110GWh per annum in 2030. In order to meet this demand, the UK will need to secure substantial amounts of raw materials, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, needed to manufacture EV batteries. The development of a sustainable domestic supply chain for these materials will therefore be critical for the electrification of transport in the UK.

Altilium’s planned Teesside hub will be the UK’s largest integrated battery recycling facility, capable of processing 150,000 EV batteries annually and supplying 30,000tpa of CAM back into the UK’s growing gigafactory complex.