Recycling at core of major battery system research project

United Kingdom – WMG, based at the UK’s University of Warwick, will lead a £14 million (US$ 21.7 million) consortium focused on creating a new automotive battery pack manufacturing research centre. The project will help develop the next generation of traction batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Among the various project partners, resource recovery specialist Axion Consulting will lead work to develop the lifecycle management of the battery system, including its recycling, remanufacturing and/or repurposing at end of life. The Axion team will also research novel processes for recovering high-value metal compounds from the batteries.

Axion’s senior engineer Sam Haig comments: ‘This is an exciting new project that allows us to engage with and have valuable input into the whole design process from initial designs to prototyping and manufacturing. There could be potential in the future to extend this type of work to other lithium-ion batteries, such as those in laptops and mobile phones.’

The UK’s innovation agency Innovate UK has provided £10 million (US$ 15.5 million) in funding to the project, dubbed AMPLiFII (Automated Module-to-pack Pilot Line for Industrial Innovation). High-profile project partners include Jaguar Land Rover, JCB and The University of Oxford.

As well as leading the project, WMG will host the pilot manufacturing line as part of its Energy Innovation Centre on the University of Warwick campus.