The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK’s latest Innovation Opportunity Report, part of the Automotive Council UK’s Technology Roadmaps, has identified battery recycling as one of seven priority innovation categories that hold strategic importance for the UK’s battery capabilities over the next decade.
Of the seven innovation themes, recycling offers the strongest commercial development opportunities, driven by:
- Need to meet policy mandates (e.g. EU Battery Regulation)
- Supply chain pressures for critical raw materials
- Abundant domestic feedstock from end-of-life EVs and manufacturing scrap
The report also identifies the following key areas within the end-of-life value chain for further innovation and investment:
- Lower-cost, energy-efficient recycling techniques
- Automation of sorting and triage processes
- Enhanced material recovery via hydrometallurgy
- Safer, more scalable solutions for black mass refining
According to the APC, there will be 75 million BEVs (including plug-in vehicles) produced globally by 2035. Nearly 15 million plug-in EVs (passenger car and light commercial vehicle (LCV)) will be produced in Europe during the same period, which will result in European battery demand of nearly 800 GWh.
With the UK’s growing EV fleet, emerging gigafactories and a strong innovation ecosystem, battery recycling isn’t just a necessity, it’s a strategic opportunity to build a resilient and sustainable domestic battery supply chain.
To learn more about how UK companies likes Altilium are helping to drive this innovation and support the UK’s transition to EVs, download the full report here:
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Building the recycling infrastructure needed for net-zero requires a collaborative approach.
