Altilium and Connected Energy collaborate to extend the life of electric vehicle batteries

The collaboration brings together two leading UK innovators operating in the rapidly growing EV battery ecosystem, and underlines both companies’ commitment to sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of EV batteries.

Connected Energy designs and develops energy storage systems using recycled EV batteries, while Altilium is a pioneer in EV battery recycling, processing used EV batteries and producing scrap to produce low-carbon cathode materials (CAM) for direct reuse in new batteries.

Under the agreement, Altilium and Connected Energy will collaborate to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly business models for the reuse and recycling of electric vehicle batteries, benefiting both companies as well as battery manufacturers and automotive OEMs.

The collaboration also aims to develop responsible reuse and recycling protocols that will be adopted as industry standards, in line with the principles of the waste hierarchy: reuse, repurpose and recycle.

Reusing EV batteries in stationary systems could extend their life by up to ten years, delivering significant environmental and circular economy benefits. When these batteries reach the end of their second life, they can be recycled and critical minerals recovered for reuse in the production of new batteries, ensuring valuable resources remain in the UK supply chain.

Altilium has already received its first batch of batteries from Connected Energy, which will be processed at the company’s state-of-the-art recycling facilities in Devon. Using the EcoCathode recycling process, Altilium can recover more than 95 percent of battery metals, including lithium, in a format that can be directly reused in the production of new batteries.

The process also results in a 60 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and a 20 percent reduction in costs compared to virgin materials, paving the way for the production of cheaper and even cleaner electric vehicles.

“We will see a rapid increase in the availability of used EV batteries over the next five years,” said Matthew Lumsden, CEO of Connected Energy. “As an industry, we need to work together to ensure that we move batteries through the value chain in a way that minimizes their environmental impact while maximizing their financial value. This collaboration is an important step in creating a model for true circularity for batteries.”

Connected Energy storage systems are increasingly being used in the UK and Europe for applications such as supporting EV charging centres, reducing energy bills, balancing the grid and maximising the return on investment from solar panels. By giving their batteries a second life, EV manufacturers and other battery owners can continue to monetise their batteries for several years before they are recycled.

Through this partnership, Connected Energy hopes to capture a greater share of the residual value of these used batteries as they reach the end of their second life, while Altilium will gain greater visibility into the available feedstock for its recycling plants, including the planned Teesside (ACT 4) refinery. The plant will have the capacity to recycle used batteries from 150,000 electric vehicles per year, producing 30,000 tonnes of CAM, enough to meet 20 per cent of the UK’s projected demand by 2030.

The two companies are already involved in a £30.1 million project, led by Nissan and supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre, which aims to strengthen the UK’s capacity to reuse, recycle and balance the electricity grid of electric vehicle batteries.

By promoting the reuse and recycling of EV batteries, Altilium and Connected Energy are helping to build a circular economy for EV batteries in the UK, reducing the UK’s dependence on imported materials and reducing the carbon footprint associated with battery production and disposal. This in turn supports the UK’s goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

For additional information:

Altilium

Connected Energy