Mercedes-Benz opened an in-house battery recycling plant.
The ability will produce sufficient supplies to make 50,000 new battery modules yearly, the corporate says.
EV battery recycling is a distinct segment however rising piece of the EV provide chain.
Mercedes-Benz is moving into the battery recycling sport. The automaker on Monday opened a recycling plant in Southern Germany that it says makes it “the primary automotive producer worldwide to shut the battery recycling loop with its personal in-house facility.”
The ability will course of sufficient recycled supplies to fabricate at the very least 50,000 new battery modules per yr, Mercedes says. A Mercedes EQE sedan requires 10 battery modules, every containing quite a few particular person cells. So tough math means that the plant may generate sufficient renewed supplies for at the very least 5,000 autos with its present expertise.
The plant is Europe’s first to make use of a “mechanical-hydrometallurgical course of,” which Mercedes says makes use of much less vitality and produces much less waste than the extra prevalent pyrometallurgy strategy. Mercedes is not going it alone right here, however slightly it is teaming up with a expertise associate referred to as Primobius. For anyone interested by how this course of really works, I’ll let Mercedes clarify:
“For the primary time in Europe, the Mercedes-Benz battery recycling plant covers all steps from shredding battery modules to drying and processing lively battery supplies. The mechanical course of types and separates plastics, copper, aluminum, and iron in a posh, multi-stage course of. The downstream hydrometallurgical course of is devoted to the so-called black mass. These are the lively supplies that make up the electrodes of the battery cells. The dear metals cobalt, nickel and lithium are extracted individually in a multi-stage chemical course of.”
EV battery recycling remains to be a distinct segment business and a nascent a part of the EV provide chain. However it’s set to develop considerably as extra EV batteries attain finish of life and as demand for battery supplies rises. By recycling outdated batteries, carmakers can scale back reliance on current battery provide chains, that are concentrated in China. They will additionally keep away from mining extra lithium, cobalt and nickel, thus chopping down their influence on the atmosphere.
The essential supplies that make an EV battery run are extremely recyclable. Working example: Mercedes says its course of will get better 96% of the uncooked supplies in a recycled battery.
Different carmakers have waded into this world as effectively. BMW not too long ago struck a cope with Redwood Supplies, a battery recycler based mostly in Nevada, to course of outdated batteries from BMWs, Minis and Rolls-Royces. Volkswagen and Ford have made comparable offers. So it is probably not too lengthy earlier than a lot of the stuff inside your automotive’s battery is on its second go round.
Contact the creator: tim.levin@insideevs.com
