Altilium has delivered the first batch of cathode active material (CAM) to the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), for production and qualification of new NMC 811 battery cells.

Altilium’s EcoCathode NMC 811-2036 is a high-nickel CAM produced using materials recovered from end-of-life EV batteries. As well as creating a sustainable, domestic supply chain for critical battery materials, the programme will enable automotive OEMs to comply with stringent new EU battery regulations. By 2036, new EV batteries in the EU must include 12% recycled lithium, 5% recycled nickel and 26% recycled cobalt.

In a UK first, UKBIC will begin rapid prototyping of EV battery cells using Altilium’s recycled materials at the UK’s national battery manufacturing scale-up facility. The project will involve a full pouch cell run and benchmarking against UKBIC’s baselines cell. The quality and performance of the EcoCathode NMC 811-2036 will be qualified by an automotive OEM.

By demonstrating at-scale manufacturing of battery cells using recycled CAM, the project will advance commercialisation of Altilium’s EcoCathode™ recycling process, paving the way for supply deals with OEMs and battery manufacturers and de-risking investment in further scale-up, including construction of the UK’s largest planned commercial plant for EV battery recycling and CAM production.

Altilium’s EcoCathode™ process recycles over 95% of cathode metals, including lithium, from old EV batteries. These materials undergo upcycling to high nickel CAM, ensuring reuse in new batteries with over 60% lower carbon and 20% lower cost compared to virgin materials.

CAM, which is made up of lithium and other critical metals, is the most expensive component in an EV battery, as well as the most carbon-intensive. By recovering these critical battery materials from end-of-life batteries and Gigafactory scrap and upcycling to modern battery chemistries, Altilium is helping to decarbonise automotive supply chains while reducing the UK’s reliance on imported materials and supporting the transition to net zero.