March 9, 2023: Mercedes-Benz held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 3 for an EV battery recycling manufacturing facility in Kuppenheim, Germany.
The auto large stated that the primary stage of the plant, the mechanical dismantling of the batteries, is scheduled to start out ramping up by the top of this 12 months.
A hydrometallurgy pilot plant will likely be arrange a number of months later, “topic to the result of promising discussions with the general public sector”.
The pilot plant is predicted to have an annual capability of two,500 tons, with recovered supplies returned to the recycling loop to provide greater than 50,000 battery modules for brand new Mercedes-Benz fashions. .
In line with the corporate, all recycling operations will likely be built-in inside one manufacturing facility, which it claims is exclusive in Europe.
Mercedes-Benz didn’t disclose monetary particulars however stated Germany’s federal economic system and local weather safety ministry funded the plant as a part of a scientific analysis challenge.
The automotive firm stated it invested “a double-digit million euro quantity within the development of the balanced CO2-neutral plant”.
Kuppenheim will ultimately cowl each step of the recycling course of, from dismantling on the module stage to shredding, drying and processing battery-grade supplies, the corporate stated.
The hydrometallurgy course of goals to have a supplies restoration price of greater than 96%, the corporate claims.
Mercedes-Benz is collaborating on the challenge with know-how companion Primobius, a three way partnership between German mechanical engineering firm SMS and Australia’s Neometals.
Journal of Vitality Storage It was reported final 12 months that main automakers are additionally driving the momentum within the manufacturing of battery cells in Europe – in response to evaluation printed in February by CIC energiGUNE.
Pictured from left: Jörg Burzer (member of the board of administration of the Mercedes-Benz Group for manufacturing and provide chain administration), Thekla Walker (minister for the setting, local weather safety and vitality sector Baden-Württemberg) and Michael Brecht (chairman of the works council of the joint operation Gaggenau, to which the Kuppenheim plant belongs). Photograph: Mercedes-Benz