Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group focused on supporting the transition to net zero, announced a project to produce and validate EV battery cells using materials recovered from end-of-life EV batteries. In a first for the UK, the project will demonstrate battery cells produced with recovered cathode active materials (CAM) which will be validated for use in vehicles with a leading automotive OEM.

The project has been made possible through the support of the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, under the latest round of its Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator (ARMD) competition.

Working alongside JLR, Altilium will leverage its advanced EcoCathode process to deliver a significant carbon reduction in EVs. By recovering critical materials including lithium, cobalt and nickel, Altilium’s process reduces the need for newly mined materials, resulting in a 60% reduction in carbon emissions.

JLR will conduct comprehensive validation studies on the pouch cells at its battery testing facilities.

Production of the battery cells is planned to take place at the UK Battery Industrialization Centre (UKBIC), the UK’s national battery manufacturing scale-up facility, using recovered battery materials produced by Altilium at its new mini-commercial ACT2 facility, as well as its ACT1 pilot, both in Devon.

The project builds on Altilium’s previously announced partnership with UKBIC, supported by Innovate UK’s Faraday Battery Challenge, to begin rapid prototyping of EV battery cells using recycled CAM. Both projects will be crucial in de-risking the scale-up of Altilium’s battery recycling operations and helping to strengthen the UK’s position in the global EV supply chain.

According to new research by the Faraday Institution, demand for UK EV battery manufacturing capacity will reach nearly 110 GWh per annum in 2030. In order to meet this demand, the UK will need to secure substantial amounts of raw materials, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, needed to manufacture EV batteries. The development of a sustainable domestic supply chain for these materials will therefore be critical for the electrification of transport in the UK.

Altilium’s planned Teesside hub will be the UK’s largest integrated battery recycling facility, capable of processing 150,000 EV batteries annually and supplying 30,000tpa of CAM back into the UK’s growing gigafactory complex.