In a bid to address the growing importance of recycling and reprocessing materials in the expanding new energy vehicle (NEV) market, Mercedes-Benz has signed a memorandum of understanding with CATL’s Brunp subsidiary in China. The deal will see Brunp recycle used electric car batteries from Mercedes-Benz and process the materials into cathode materials, which will then be used by CATL in new electric vehicle batteries supplied to Mercedes-Benz.
Brunp, which already works with Volvo, BMW, FAW-Volkswagen, and GAC-Toyota, among others, operates 251 battery recycling sites across China. Its parent company CATL is also building two large industrial parks to recycle and process battery raw materials into new batteries.
See also: CATL to supply 123 GWh EV batteries to Honda from 2024 through 2030
Mercedes-Benz has also recently laid the foundation stone for its battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany. The plant will enable Mercedes to map the entire chain in its pilot plant, from the discarded battery packs to extracting individual raw materials.
The move comes as Beijing Benz Automotive (BBAC) – the joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and BAIC in China – has been building four electric cars in the country since mid-2022, specifically the EQA, EQB, EQC, and EQE. With the growing importance of recycling and reprocessing materials in the expanding NEV market, partnerships such as this one are set to play an increasingly important role in the industry.
