Author: Scott Reynolds

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…

The Future is Neutral (TFIN), backed by Renault Group and Suez, has expanded its digital platform AutoLOOP to include the collection of electric vehicle (EV) traction batteries, as part of efforts to scale recycling of strategic materials. The move extends AutoLOOP’s existing role in collecting materials such as polypropylene, copper, aluminium and platinum group metals from end-of-life vehicles, positioning the platform as a centralised solution for both material and battery recovery across Europe. “Professionalisation and digitalisation of materials and battery collection: that is our purpose. AutoLOOP is a unique platform designed to improve the recovery of end-of-life vehicles, ensuring simplicity,…

Battery recycling startup R3 Robotics has raised €20 million in new funding to expand its automated electric vehicle dismantling technology, as it broadens its focus beyond battery upcycling to full vehicle disassembly. The company, originally founded as Circu Li-ion, said the funding includes €14 million from a Series A round led by HG Ventures and Suma Capital, alongside €6 million in European grants. R3 Robotics has evolved from specialising in lithium-ion battery reuse to developing systems that can automatically dismantle entire electric vehicles, including powertrains, motors and electronics, to recover valuable raw materials. Antoine Welter said the shift addresses inefficiencies…

Toyota has announced plans to build a circular economy factory in Wałbrzych, Poland, aimed at dismantling end-of-life vehicles and recovering components and raw materials for reuse in new production. The facility will occupy approximately 25,000 square metres and is designed to process about 20,000 vehicles per year. The plant will focus on salvaging usable parts and extracting valuable materials, with particular attention to traction batteries and other electrified vehicle components. “Items such as batteries and wheels will be evaluated for their potential to be remanufactured, repurposed or recycled,” Toyota said, adding that the objective is to maximise environmental benefits through…

Berlin-based software company Minespider has launched a digital marketplace called Recircle.market aimed at improving coordination across the battery recycling and reuse supply chain, as Europe prepares for stricter sustainability regulations. The platform originates from the EU-funded Recirculate project and is designed to connect companies involved in battery-electric vehicle battery repair, refurbishment, second-life applications and recycling, along with related service providers. Minespider, which specializes in supply chain traceability software, provides the underlying digital infrastructure for the marketplace. According to the company, the initiative seeks to address longstanding challenges in the sector, including fragmented data, limited transparency on battery condition and complex…

Researchers at RWTH Aachen University are working with academic and industry partners to test delamination-based approaches for battery recycling, seeking to improve material recovery while reducing environmental impact and reliance on primary raw materials. The work is being carried out under the three-year RECLAIM research project, funded by the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia. The project focuses on delamination, a direct recycling process that separates active battery materials from current collector foils without chemically decomposing them, a step that can preserve material value and lower energy use. See also: RWTH Aachen Tests Hybrid Bus-Cable Car Prototype in upBUS Mobility Project…

German battery recycling startup Cylib said it has successfully demonstrated its in-house recycling technology in a customer project, recovering lithium carbonate from used lithium-ion batteries that is now being used in new electric vehicle batteries. The Aachen-based company said the lithium carbonate was produced at its pilot plant using its proprietary OLiC (Optimised Lithium and Graphite Recovery) process and has been qualified by a large, unnamed international battery manufacturer. Qualification is a critical step toward commercial use of recycled materials in battery production, although Cylib said it remains unclear whether it will become a regular supplier to the manufacturer. See…

U.S. battery recycling company Redwood Materials has completed the final closing of its Series E financing round, lifting the total raised to $425 million after adding Google as a new investor, the company said. Redwood had previously announced $350 million raised in the round. The final close includes continued participation from existing backers Capricorn and Goldman Sachs Alternatives, alongside new investors including Google. Redwood said the additional capital “reflects confidence in our long-term strategy and execution.” See also: Redwood Materials Raises $350 Million to Power AI Data Centers with Repurposed EV Batteries The entry of Google follows an earlier investment…

Portuguese lithium developer Lifthium Energy has secured €180 million in state funding to support the construction of a lithium refinery in northern Portugal, as the country and the European Union seek to strengthen domestic supply chains for battery materials. The grant was awarded under the European Union’s Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, a time-limited state aid programme designed to accelerate the energy transition and industrial decarbonisation, the company said. The refinery will be built in Estarreja, around 50 kilometres south of Porto, and is expected to begin operations by 2030. Portugal is Europe’s largest producer of lithium, although output has…

Generational has deployed its electric vehicle (EV) battery health testing technology across all 21 Motorpoint retail locations and two vehicle preparation centres in the UK, following a pilot programme that showed tested vehicles sold more quickly than untested stock. The nationwide rollout covers more than 1,500 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles assessed using Generational’s battery diagnostics. According to the company, vehicles tested with its technology sold an average of four days faster than comparable EVs without verified battery health data. See also: Sunwoda Chairman Denies Direct Role in Volvo EX30 Battery Recall “Battery health is fast becoming the EV equivalent…

China will introduce new standards for the recycling of electric vehicle batteries from April 1, including the launch of a national information platform designed to track batteries throughout their entire lifecycle, according to Chinese media reports. The initiative, led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), will require original equipment manufacturers to record and report data covering battery production, sales, maintenance, decommissioning, dismantling and recycling. The platform is intended to strengthen oversight of power batteries from alternatively powered vehicles as large volumes approach retirement. See also: Dongfeng Tests Solid-State Battery Prototypes in Extreme Cold Ahead of Planned 2026…

Materia AI said it has received UK government grant funding to support the development of an artificial intelligence platform aimed at improving the management of end-of-life electric vehicle batteries. The funding was awarded through Innovate UK’s Early Stage Growth Catalyst programme and will be used to develop ReGenTrace AI, a cloud-based system designed to support data analysis and traceability in battery collection, recycling and materials recovery. The company said the platform integrates machine learning, predictive modelling and blockchain-based tracking. See also: Honda, Princeton NuEnergy Sign Battery Recycling Pact After Joint Cathode Tests Materia AI said ReGenTrace AI is intended to…

Honda Motor Co. has signed a memorandum of understanding with U.S.-based battery recycler Princeton NuEnergy to deepen cooperation on lithium-ion battery recycling, following joint technical work that produced recycled cathode materials comparable to newly manufactured alternatives. The agreement builds on collaboration that began in 2022, during which Honda and Princeton NuEnergy validated plasma-based direct recycling and upcycling technologies for lithium-ion batteries. The work focused on recovering materials from both manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries, according to the companies. Princeton NuEnergy said the joint testing resulted in rejuvenated nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode active material that matched the performance of virgin material, a…

CATL said on Wednesday it has entered into a three-year energy storage cooperation agreement with Shanghai Sieyuan Electric, as the world’s largest battery manufacturer continues to strengthen its presence in the energy storage sector. Under the memorandum of cooperation, the two companies are targeting a collaboration scale of 50 gigawatt-hours (GWh) over the next three years, CATL said in a statement. The partnership will focus on improving supply chain coordination and promoting high-quality development across the energy storage industry. CATL said both sides will work together on upstream and downstream supply chain integration involving energy storage systems and supporting equipment…

Chinese power battery manufacturer Eve Energy has begun construction of a new sodium battery business headquarters, intensifying its push into next-generation battery technologies as competition accelerates across China’s energy storage sector. The project, which also incorporates an artificial intelligence and robotics centre, broke ground on Dec. 22 at District D of Eve Energy’s headquarters campus in Huizhou, Guangdong province, the company said. The sodium-ion battery facility represents a total planned investment of about 1 billion yuan ($140 million) and will cover roughly 90,000 square metres. The site will house research and development, pilot production and large-scale manufacturing functions. Eve Energy…

Ample, Inc., a U.S.-based developer of modular electric vehicle battery swapping systems, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after struggling with liquidity constraints despite raising more than $330 million in funding since its founding. Ample filed for protection on Dec. 16 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, according to court documents. A debtor affiliate, Ample Texas EV, LLC, is also included in the filing. The San Francisco-based company said it entered bankruptcy with between $10 million and $50 million in assets and $50 million to $100 million in liabilities. Court filings indicate that funds…

BMW Group and its joint venture Encory GmbH have officially commissioned a new Cell Recycling Competence Center (CRCC) in Salching, Lower Bavaria, marking a further step in the automaker’s efforts to industrialise battery recycling and reduce reliance on energy-intensive recovery processes. The new centre will focus on so-called direct recycling, a process that mechanically dismantles residual materials from battery cell production, including complete cells, and feeds recovered raw materials directly back into the manufacturing cycle. Unlike conventional recycling methods, the approach avoids chemical or thermal processing, significantly lowering energy consumption. “Our direct recycling process puts us at the forefront of…

The Future is NEUTRAL, the circular economy entity of the Renault Group, has secured approval to operate France’s first Individual System (IS) for the management of end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The authorization, published in the Official Journal on November 28, 2025, specifically applies to Renault Group vehicles and establishes a new precedent for automotive recycling practices in the region. This move ensures compliance with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations on EV battery recycling, which have been in force since August 2025. The regulations require automotive manufacturers to either join a collective Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) or establish a…