Charging infrastructure manufacturer XCharge North America has announced a collaboration with Swiss recycling startup Grensol Group to tackle end-of-life waste from Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). The initiative aims to reduce waste associated with EV charging cables and modules, promoting sustainability in the rapidly growing EV sector.
Under the agreement, XCharge will supply Grensol with discarded EVSE components, such as broken cables and worn-down equipment, to develop industrial recycling solutions. Grensol plans to utilize advanced technologies, including metals recovery and photolysis, to process the waste and produce raw materials for a circular economy. These materials could include critical metals required for manufacturing new charging equipment.
“This recycling-focused partnership will allow us to achieve an improved product lifecycle by promoting sustainable solutions,” said Aatish Patel, Co-founder and President of XCharge North America. “We’ll work with Grensol to determine the best mechanical, chemical, and thermal recycling methods to create a continuous lifecycle for our charging materials and reducing our carbon footprint.”
Initially, the partnership will focus on recycling EV charging cables, with a long-term objective to apply similar processes to other EVSE components. Grensol is collaborating with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts to advance research into recycling methodologies.
Rajiv Singhal, a representative of Grensol, emphasized the urgency of the initiative, stating, “EVSEs have a particularly short useful life due to constant wear and tear, so the need for a recyclable material solution is the driving force behind this partnership. Partnering with XCharge NA will provide us and WPI with more materials and information for our development of breakthrough low-cost circular materials solutions for the future that keep resources onshore and materials in use for longer, while avoiding carbon emissions.”
The partnership represents a significant step toward sustainable resource management in the EV charging industry, aiming to extend the lifecycle of materials and reduce environmental impact.