Author: Scott Reynolds

General Motors and Redwood Materials have expanded their battery collaboration with a new second-life energy storage project in Michigan that will use retired electric vehicle battery packs to support manufacturing operations. The project will deploy approximately 100 repurposed GM battery packs to create a battery energy storage system with a capacity of 1.5 megawatts and 7.2 megawatt-hours at a General Motors manufacturing facility. According to Redwood Materials, the installation is designed to lower electricity costs while improving energy resilience at the site. Batteries Gain Second Life After Vehicle Use The project highlights the growing role of second-life battery applications as…

Mercedes-Benz Trucks is expanding its battery-electric truck lineup with the introduction of the eActros Lowliner, a new model designed for high-volume freight transport and automotive logistics. The company plans to officially unveil the vehicle at the IAA Transportation exhibition in Hanover in September, with customer orders expected to open in the third quarter of 2026. Production is scheduled to begin at the Wörth am Rhein plant in Germany during the second quarter of 2027. Electric Lowliner Targets Automotive Logistics Lowliner trucks are designed with a fifth-wheel height of just 950 mm, allowing them to haul mega trailers with an internal…

Vianode and cylib have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the use of recycled graphite in battery anode materials, as the companies seek to strengthen circularity and reduce emissions across the European battery value chain. Under the agreement, cylib will supply recycled graphite concentrate recovered from end-of-life batteries, while Vianode will validate the material’s suitability for anode production through pilot-scale testing. The companies said the partnership is intended to support greater European material independence while lowering the carbon footprint associated with battery manufacturing. Focus on Graphite Recovery and Circular Supply Chains Graphite is the largest material component in…

Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials has secured £1.4 million ($1.9 million) in funding from the UK government to develop a graphite recycling pilot facility in Runcorn, as the country seeks to strengthen its domestic electric vehicle battery supply chain and reduce dependence on imported raw materials. The project, which remains in the planning phase, is expected to begin in early 2026, with installation work and initial product output anticipated later that year. According to Orbia, the pilot facility will establish graphite recycling capabilities in the United Kingdom and evaluate the technical and commercial viability of recovering graphite from battery materials.…

Umicore and Fraunhofer IPA are leading a new research project aimed at developing automated methods for safely disassembling and selectively discharging battery cells intended for recycling or reuse. The project, named RoB@t2Cell, seeks to address one of the major technical challenges in battery recycling: handling residual electrical charge in used battery systems. Currently, battery packs are often fully deep-discharged before disassembly to minimise safety risks. However, researchers say this process can permanently damage otherwise functional cells that could still be reused in second-life applications such as stationary energy storage. The RoB@t2Cell consortium aims to develop a system capable of selectively…

The European Union and India have launched a joint initiative worth 15.2 million euros ($16.5 million) aimed at advancing electric vehicle battery recycling technologies and establishing a pilot recycling facility in India. The programme was announced under the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) as part of a broader collaboration on green and clean energy technologies. See also: Global EV Battery Cell Production Rises 9.1% in First Quarter, SNE Research Says Funding for the initiative will come from the EU’s Horizon Europe programme and India’s Ministry of Heavy Industries. The initiative invites companies, startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, universities and…

Ascend Elements has begun Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, the battery recycling startup said on Friday, in a setback for investors who had committed nearly $900 million to the company. Chief Executive Linh Austin announced the decision in a LinkedIn post late Thursday, saying Ascend faced “insurmountable” financial challenges. The bankruptcy filing comes as the U.S. electric vehicle market experiences slower growth following a surge in purchases ahead of the expiration of federal EV tax credits last September. Industry analysts have said some consumers accelerated purchases to secure incentives, contributing to weaker subsequent demand. Ascend’s financial position…

German battery recycling company Cylib has joined a consortium of 25 companies and research institutions working to develop sodium-ion battery technology and related recycling processes under the “SIB:DE Entwicklung” project, the company said. The initiative, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Research, Technology, and Space with 14.5 million euros ($15.8 million), will run from March 2026 through February 2029. The project follows the earlier SIB:DE Forschung initiative launched in 2025, which focused on evaluating the role sodium-ion batteries could play in Europe’s energy and mobility transition. Under the new program, consortium members aim to develop large-format sodium-ion battery cells suitable…

Altilium has filed its 10th UK patent application, covering a proprietary process to produce key battery intermediates—including nickel mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP)—from recycled materials, the company said. The filing marks a further expansion of Altilium’s intellectual property portfolio and follows a technical milestone achieved at its ACT2 pilot facility, where the company has begun commercial production of nickel MHP for customer qualification. The development is intended to demonstrate both the scalability of the process and its ability to meet industry standards. The new process, developed at the ACT2 site, enables the recovery of critical materials from a range of feedstocks,…

Researchers led by Fraunhofer IPA have launched a new project, “Difference,” aimed at improving the recyclability of next-generation battery systems that use Cell-to-Pack (CTP) technology, the institute said. The project focuses on battery designs in which cells are integrated directly into the battery pack without intermediate modules, a configuration increasingly used to reduce weight, lower component counts and improve energy density. While this approach can enhance vehicle range and efficiency, it also introduces significant challenges for disassembly and recycling. The initiative is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space under the B@ts battery research programme and…

Researchers at Fraunhofer IFAM are developing a new electrochemical process to recover critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel from used batteries, as part of the MeGaBat project aimed at improving recycling efficiency and sustainability. The initiative, short for “Methods for the electrochemical recovery of active battery materials,” offers an alternative to conventional hydrometallurgical recycling techniques, which typically rely on energy-intensive processes and chemical inputs. The new approach is designed to reduce both carbon emissions and energy consumption while avoiding the use of acids and alkalis. “At the same time, the electrochemical method is intended to ensure that…

Tozero has inaugurated its first industrial-scale demonstration plant for lithium-ion battery recycling at the Chemiepark Gendorf, marking a key step in scaling up domestic recovery of critical raw materials in Europe. The facility, located in Upper Bavaria near the Austrian border, is designed to process around 500 tonnes of battery waste annually and recover more than 100 tonnes of high-purity lithium carbonate, alongside graphite and nickel-cobalt compounds. “In under four years, Tozero has scaled from lab to industry as the first European company,” the company said in a statement announcing the opening. Founded in 2022, Tozero focuses on processing so-called…