Traction batteries are made from valuable raw materials, most of which have to be imported into Europe. For economic, and also ecological reasons, it’s therefore important these materials are reintroduced into the reusable material cycle in as far as possible at the end of the battery’s life. Potential designs for an efficient, closed recycling chain, including expandable logistics solutions, have been the subject of the Automotive Battery Recycling 2020 research project conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC since the start of 2018. The project is backed by EIT RawMaterials – the largest and strongest consortium in the raw materials sector worldwide, which unites 100 EU-wide partners from industry, universities, and research institutions.

The partners of the joint research project – including UMICORE NV , ImpulsTec , and Daimler – are scrutinizing every stage in the recycling chain for efficiency, cost effectiveness, and sustainability: from the collection of old batteries and the various processes for dismantling these through preparing and recycling the relevant materials. Appropriate collection and transportation concepts are to be elaborated and solutions for a smart design for recycling developed, for example.