The Battery Lifecycle Company GmbH: A Joint Venture for Sustainable Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling

Rhenus Automotive and TSR Automotive, two subsidiary companies of the Rethmann Group, have joined forces to establish a new joint venture, The Battery Lifecycle Company GmbH (BLC). BLC’s aim is to recycle and reuse lithium-ion batteries from the mobility sector, offering holistic battery recycling throughout the entire value chain. The joint venture will be managed by TSR Automotive, with 65% ownership of the new GmbH, while the remaining 35% will be owned by Rhenus Automotive.

BLC will initially operate from TSR’s site in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, where battery packs have already been dismantled since 2021 and examined for their suitability for reuse. Functional batteries with insufficient performance for automotive use will be prepared for second-life use, while damaged or defective modules will be deep-discharged and disassembled. In future, BLC plans to use high-performance components as replacement modules for repairs and in the reconditioning of battery packs.

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To support these plans, the joint venture is already planning another dismantling line at the TSR site in Magdeburg, which will become Europe’s first fully automated facility for discharging and dismantling battery modules, according to Bosch Rexroth, the supplier of the technology. The system will be able to transport battery material of up to 150 kilograms per workpiece carrier at a speed of 18 metres per second. Within less than 15 minutes, eight lithium-ion batteries of electric cars can be automatically discharged.

Florian Karlstedt, BLC Managing Director, said, “We’re combining the strengths of the two worlds of logistics and recycling at BLC in order to explore new horizons in battery recycling together. Rhenus Automotive is certified to assemble vehicle parts on the production side and can make use of its expert knowledge in logistics as well as in handling batteries – and its infrastructure meets automobile standards.” Matthias Illing, also a BLC managing director, added, “As a recycling company, TSR brings with it expertise in the fields of dismantling and refurbishing. TSR not only has the suitable business sites for this, but also the relevant permits for storing and reprocessing lithium-ion batteries.”

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According to Stefan Hartung, Chairman of the Bosch Board of Management, “Electromobility can only establish itself in the long term if sufficient raw materials are available for battery production. Recycling plays a key role here, and helps place our output on a sustainable footing: we reuse what we use, and we recover raw materials.” Bosch will showcase industrial technology for battery recycling at the upcoming Hannover Messe event.