US battery leader pushes African e-mobility recycling

US battery recycler Ace Green Recycling is joining forces with Kenyan electric vehicle company Spiro.

The companies have signed a strategic agreement to support the circular battery value chain in Africa. The partnership will see Ace Green Recycling process end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, including LFP batteries, as well as waste from Spiro’s battery manufacturing facilities.

Recycling hubs

As part of the agreement, Spiro has named Ace as its exclusive recycling partner globally. Ace and Spiro are to build recycling centres near Spiro’s collection hubs. These will use Ace’s proprietary, ‘environmentally friendly’ LithiumFirst recycling technology.

Spiro is Africa’s largest electric vehicle company, with more than 22 000 innovative electric bikes deployed across the continent. Its key markets include Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Tanzania.

‘Our focus on circularity has been at the core of deploying the largest electric mobility fleet in Africa,’ says Spiro ceo Kaushik Burman. He is confident the partnership with Ace will allow Spiro to expand its business across Africa.

Global rollout

Nishchay Chadha, ceo of Ace, adds: ‘We are focused on scaling our modular solution to support a circular value chain that meets the growing demand for recycling.

‘This agreement serves as the foray for Ace in the African market as we continue to rollout our global deployment strategy.’

Ace, headquartered in Delaware, currently operates lithium and lead recycling plants in India and Taiwan. The company has plans for more facilities and partnerships in the US, Europe, Israel and South Africa.