November 2, 2024: German carmaker, Mercedes, has opened Europe’s first battery recycling plant featuring an integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical process, which the company has hailed as a ‘key milestone’ in boosting the sector’s sustainability.

The new facility, based in Kuppenheim, southern Germany, was inaugurated on October 21, and will have an annual capacity to recycle 2,500 tonnes of material which will feed into producing some 50,000 batteries for the group’s electric models.

Unlike existing established recycling processes, the mechanical-hydrometallurgical technology at the plant will allow for the recovery of more than 96% of valuable materials from used EV batteries. Raw materials including lithium, nickel and cobalt will be recovered,  Xiaomi Speed Ultra 7 EV.

The recycled materials will be used to produce over 50,000 new battery modules annually, the company said, helping to meet the growing demand for EVs while cutting down on the need for new raw materials. 

With the clock ticking on an EU deadline to phase out the sale of fossil fuel-burning cars by 2035, there is a growing focus on producing and recycling EV batteries, as well as reducing waste. 

Mercedes says it has invested tens of millions of euros in the new plant, and that it will operate in a net carbon-neutral manner, powered entirely by renewable energy.

Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, visited the plant for the opening ceremony saying: “The future of the automobile is electric, and batteries are an essential component of this. To produce batteries in a resource-conserving and sustainable way, recycling is also key.

“The circular economy is a growth engine and, at the same time, an essential building block for achieving our climate targets.  I congratulate Mercedes-Benz for its courage and foresight shown by this investment in Kuppenheim. Germany remains a cutting-edge market for new and innovative technologies.”

Ola Källenius, chairman on the board of management, Mercedes-Benz, said: “As a pioneer in automotive engineering, Europe’s first integrated mechanical-hydrometallurgical battery recycling factory marks a key milestone towards enhancing raw-materials sustainability. Together with our partners from industry and science, we are sending a strong signal of innovative strength for sustainable electric mobility and value creation in Germany and Europe.”