Altilium reveals two new battery recycling partnerships

British battery firm Altilium and UK vehicle salvage, dismantling and recycling specialist Synetiq have announced a new commercial collaboration, which will see the two companies working together to recycle the growing number of EV batteries from cars that have reached the end of their life cycle.

The companies specifically mention recovering lithium and nickel “for direct reuse in the production of new batteries,” which the companies plan to source from the “thousands of cars” that Synetiq processes each year and has inventoried in its technology centre in Devon. As over 100 million EV batteries are expected to be in need of recycling over the next decade, the companies aim to launch the end-of-life programme in the UK, which currently exports battery waste to Europe and Asia for processing.

“At the core of SYNETIQ’s operations lies a commitment to sustainability, reuse, repurposing, and recycling. These principles are essential for us to fulfil our mission of maximising both the economic and environmental benefits derived from each vehicle received from our valued clients,” said Tom Rumboll, CEO of Synetiq, adding: “Through our collaboration with Altilium and LV=, we aim to establish complete circularity in the UK, particularly in a pivotal sector for the energy transition.”

Martin Milliner, General Insurance Claims Director at LV=Insurance said: “In 2019 LV= were the first insurer to launch a car insurance product developed solely for electric cars. Given the high embodied carbon impact of EV batteries, we have a responsibility to ensure that the batteries we provide SYNETIQ from our motor claims are responsibly disposed of.”

Additionally, Altilium revealed details of a new partnership with Vmoto, under which the two companies will develop a commercial solution for the collection and recycling of lithium-ion batteries from electric scooters and motorbikes across the UK and Europe, “encompassing zero-carbon battery collection, black mass recycling and chemical refining direct to battery-ready cathode active material.”

Vmoto refers to itself as a leading global manufacturer of electric scooters and motorcycles and owns subsidiaries such as Super Soco, the UK’s best-selling electric motorcycle brand as well as another in France. The company cooperated with Ducati to develop an electric scooter in 2019.

Altilium has been picking up steam in the EV battery recycling business lately, securing a £700,000 loan from the UK government in November, and announcing another recycling cooperation with ABB in October.

altilium.tech, altilium.tech (Vmoto)