Audi Succeeds in Recycling EV Batteries

Audi and Umicore have managed to recover up to 90% of the cobalt and nickel present in EV batteries. These will be recycled to make other batteries and create a sustainable supply chain for Audi.

By William Mutugi - January 28, 2020

90% Recovery

Audi teamed up with its materials partner, Umicore, to work on recycling EV batteries. The duo managed to recover more than 90 percent of the nickel and cobalt present in high-voltage batteries used in the Audi E-Tron.

Photos Courtesy of Motor1.

Recycling

Audi and its partner plan to develop a closed-loop for nickel and cobalt. The recovered materials will be recycled and used in new batteries. Umicore will retrieve cell modules from the E-Tron. The company will then recover nickel and cobalt from the cells and process them into cathode and precursor materials. New batteries containing recycled nickel and cobalt can be developed from the precursor.

>>Join the conversation about Audi recycling EV batteries right here in Audiworld.com.

Big Leap in Tech

According to Dr. Bernd Martens, who's a member of the board of management for Audi's Procurement and IT departments, being able to develop a closed-loop for batteries is one of the biggest leaps the industry could make technologically. Audi would be able to reduce Co₂ emissions and preserve precious resources.

>>Join the conversation about Audi recycling EV batteries right here in Audiworld.com.

Sustainable Supply Chain

Martens further adds that making such technological strides brings Audi closer to achieving its goal of having a sustainable supply chain. In addition, the German automaker would like to achieve a carbon-neutral balance by 2050. This will need a lot of holistic thinking. Resource-saving and consideration of the remaining 'end of life' for Audi's products will be of great importance.

>>Join the conversation about Audi recycling EV batteries right here in Audiworld.com.

Committed

Umicore is working extra hard to facilitate an easy transition to electrified cars that are sustainable. Speaking about the project with Audi, Marc Gynberg, CEO of Umicore, said that clean mobility will highly be driven by closing the materials loop, ensuring responsible sourcing and having innovative technologies. The project with Audi is among the leading efforts that will provide a sustainable value chain for electrified mobility.

>>Join the conversation about Audi recycling EV batteries right here in Audiworld.com.

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