In recycling, one of the biggest cost items is transporting the materials, and this is obviously the case for EV batteries, which are heavy and pose health and safety risks. UK-based recycler Altilium and Lunaz, a European firm that upcycles and electrifies vehicles, are working together to develop an innovative and low-carbon logistical solution.

According to the companies, transportation represents 41% of the total cost of battery recycling, and contributes 3.5% of life-cycle GHG emissions for a recycled battery, on average. Through this project, Altilium hopes to reduce the carbon footprint of battery recycling by up to 5%.

Lunaz will develop a prototype upcycled electric truck, specifically designed to transport end-of-life EV batteries, and capable of running on energy remaining in the batteries. As the batteries are transported to Altilium’s recycling facilities, they will be discharged (a necessary step prior to recycling) while powering their own trip to the recycling plant.

Altilium plans to open an EV battery recycling plant in Teesside, England, in 2026. The facility will have the capacity to recycle batteries from 150,000 EVs a year, producing 30,000 MT of Cathode Active Materials (CAM) for reuse in the EV battery supply chain.

“Millions of EV batteries will need to be transported by the next decade for recycling or a second life, and we are committed to developing low-carbon logistical solutions that can cope with these high volumes of waste,” said Kamran Mahdavi, CEO of Altilium.

Sources: Altilium, Lunaz