German carmaker BMW and South Korean technology firm SK tes plan to expand their closed-loop battery recycling system from Europe to the US-Mexico-Canada region in 2026.
The recycling process recovers cobalt, nickel and lithium from used batteries to return them to the value chain to produce new batteries.
BMW is directly involved in the process, allowing it to feed back insights to its development departments.
High-voltage batteries from BMW development, production and markets in Europe that are no longer fit for use will be delivered to SK tes, which will then convert the old batteries into high-quality metals that can be reintroduced to battery production.
The latter batteries will be mechanically shredded, during which the metals are concentrated to leave black mass material. The nickel, lithium and cobalt contained in the black mass are then recovered in a hydrometallurgical process. These secondary raw materials will be used for the BMW’s new GEN 6 drivetrain.
“The promotion of circular economy is an important strategic topic for the BMW Group. The development of recyclable products, the increase of secondary materials in our components, and the closing of loops play an equally important role,” said Nadine Philipp, Vice President Sustainability Supplier Network at BMW. “And by means of circular economy we are also increasing our resilience in the supply chains.”
Source: BMW
