A British tech firm has an answer to two key problems facing the battery industry.
By recycling old electric vehicle batteries and reusing them to make new ones, the experts at Altilium are limiting both e-waste and invasive mining needed for the crucial metals inside the packs. It's all thanks to a process called EcoCathode, per the company.
"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 United Kingdom's efforts to build a more sustainable and resilient EV supply chain," Altilium COO Christian Marston said in a news release.
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Data collector Statista reports that the global power pack recycling sector is forecast to grow to seven times by 2033. If that vision holds up, the market would be worth $24 billion. The potential isn't going unnoticed, as Chinese battery juggernaut CATL is planning to expand its recycling program, too.
JLR — better known as Jaguar Land Rover — is working with Altilium to design and test the packs made from recycled materials. It's billed as a novel project in the U.K.
The process recovers valuable lithium, cobalt, and nickel. The experts tout a 60% reduction in heat-trapping air pollution as a result. For JLR's part, the luxury car brand will test pouch cells made with the recovered materials at its facilities, per Altilium.
"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 U.K.," Marston said in the news release.
A separate Altilium statement noted that its EcoCathode recycling process can also handle battery scraps from smartphones, laptops, and other tech. It's able to recover more than 95% of the costly metals from EV packs.
Mining for the metals often draws ire from critics because wastewater and other contaminants from the operations can leach into the environment, as noted by Earth.org. But despite those downsides, common lithium-ion packs are powering cleaner rides when compared to gas guzzlers.
Each EV that replaces a fossil-fuel-burning ride cuts the production of planet-warming fumes by thousands of pounds each year, per government data. What's more, medical experts link vehicle exhaust to a greater risk of cancer and other health concerns.
Recycling is a great way to help clear the air, and it isn't limited to batteries. Some states will even pay you to recycle bottles.
At Altilium, the plan is to make a facility in Teesside that will process 150,000 batteries each year.
"This project is a vital milestone in our mission to decarbonize the battery value chain," Marston said in a news release, referring to the partnership with JLR and EcoCathode generally.
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