Volkswagen Group Begins Electric Car Battery Recycling

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The Volkswagen Group Components opens their first plant in Salzgitter, Germany dedicated to recycling electric car batteries. The pilot plant although in it’s early stages, is aimed to industrialise the recovery of valuable raw materials such as lithium and copper. Over the long term, allowing the process to achieve more than a 90% recycling rate.

Firstly, the process of the plant will analyse if the battery has enough power to be used in mobile storage systems and be given a second life. If enough power is available within the battery, it will then be recycled for use in those mobile storage systems, like the mobile charging robot and the flexible rapid charging station. However, the returns of larger volumes of batteries are not expected until at least the late 2020’s.

VW recycling plant

During the pilot phase, the plant will recycle 3,600 batteries per year which is approximately 1,500 tonnes. There are also tonnes of CO2 savings calculated and is a step towards Volkswagen making a more sustainable stance, contributing to climate protection and the supply of raw materials. As the plant becomes more efficient in the future, the system can then be scaled up to process larger volumes.

recycling plant

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