- The factory can recover key materials, including lithium, nickel, and cobalt, from old batteries.
- The plant runs on 100% green electricity.
- Mercedes-Benz already offers reconditioned batteries as spare parts for all of its existing EVs.
Mercedes-Benz has opened the doors to an innovative new battery recycling plant in southern Germany that it says “creates a genuine circular economy” for the brand’s electric vehicles.
The site, located in Kuppenheim, can recover more than 96% of the valuable and scarce raw materials used in the batteries of the firm’s all-electric vehicles. In fact, Mercedes says the factory can recover enough materials – including lithium, nickel, and cobalt – to produce more than 50,000 new battery modules each year.
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Mercedes-Benz has adopted a hydrometallurgical process at the plant that recycles the active materials that make up the electrodes of the battery cells. These materials are extracted individually in a multi-stage chemical process. The facility also shreds battery modules and can sort and separate plastics, copper, aluminum, and iron.
“Mercedes-Benz has set itself the goal of building the most desirable cars in a sustainable way,” chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Ola Källenius, 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.”
Powering the recycling operation is 100% green electricity, much of which is generated from solar panels on the roof of the building. According to Mercedes, the plant has an annual capacity of 2,500 tonnes.
The German car manufacturer wants to conserve as many resources as it can and already offers reconditioned batteries as spares for all of its EVs. Mercedes-Benz Energy also offers large-scale battery storage options that can reuse old packs that are no longer suitable for vehicle use.
Mercedes-Benz has partnered with a joint venture between engineering company SMS Group and Australian process technology developer Neometals for the recycling plant. The carmaker has invested tens of millions of euros in the site and is also receiving funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
